You Could Have It So Much Better
by lefangirl
Summary: Iron Man/Tony Stark & OC. Set in the time after Iron Man 2 leading into The Avengers and aftermath. I do not own anything Marvel, I just wanted to see what it would be like to pair Tony with an OC. Tony's break up with Pepper leaves him more broken than he cares to admit. So when he sets his eyes on one Dr. Evangeline Miller Tony can't help but chase after her.
1. Shoot to Thrill

Sorry, just a few things.

Don't get me wrong I'm totally behind Tony/Steve and super!husbands, but I wanted to try this so R&R please! I'm not exactly a master at capturing the complex character that is Tony Stark so if you notice a hit and miss let me know and I'll do my best to fix it! Rated M for safety since sexy times come later.

Pairings included: Tony/OC; Pepper/Rhodey; Steve/Bruce; Thor/Jane; Natasha/Clint. Coulson stays dead, although I very much wish he were alive.  
Every chapter name is a song that I will be explained in the author's notes at the bottom since these songs sort of inspired the story and some of the events. Enjoy!

* * *

"Yes," Pepper said from the doorway, managing his schedule from her phone as she waited for him to finish up at Stark Tower.

The billionaire looked his usual handsome self in his expensive suit that cost some three figures. He frowned at his reflection in the mirror and then cast a reproachful glance at Pepper.

"Don't give me that look, Tony," she said, placing her weight on both of her high-heeled feet as she half-turned to walk away. "The exhibition's donations go towards a clean energy fund that Stark Industries is looking to back. And they have a piece dedicated to Iron Man. So yes, you have to go."

Tony sighed, he preferred it when people threw galas and parties. "Drink first," he said, making his way to his massive kitchen.

"Mm-mm," Pepper shook her head, taking the tumbler of scotch from his hand. She gave him a look with her blue eyes. "We have to pick up Rhodey, come on."

Tony gave a half-hearted pout. He followed Pepper to the elevator that would take them to the private garage where Happy sat waiting in a car. Pepper looked good in a dress that Tony had apparently paid for. After the time they spent together they managed to part gently and amicably when things were no longer working out (although Tony begged to differ. He was still getting over it). Tony was happy that Pepper had found something with Rhodey. But honestly, when did Tony Stark ever show up to any public event without a date?

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Tony managed to snag a flute of champagne from a passing tray and immediately took a sip, wishing for something stronger. The music was too techno and too light and the art was too philosophical and modern for him to even consider deciphering any of it. Pepper liked art and Rhodey stood by her appreciation for it. Tony just gave Pepper the money to buy it. He hardly ever understood the lines of art and preferred the art he found in the beautiful line of a freshly completed engine.

His fingers tapped the side of his finely suited leg as he surveyed the gallery. Several people walked around, looking extremely glitzy and ready to make a bunch of donations all in the name of clean energy. Tony's eyes flickered to the Iron Man piece that was featured in the spot of honor at the center of the gallery. He squinted carefully at it, thinking that it wasn't half bad. Perhaps he should buy it.

Pepper snatched him away for a moment to look at a few pieces with her and Rhodey, explaining some of them when Tony cocked his head. After three pieces Tony was looking for another flute of champagne.

"This place needs a new DJ," Tony stated plainly.

Pepper shot him a sidelong glance. "Tony, don't," she said. "Respect the artist!" She frowned as he pulled out one of his gadgets from his pocket, a touch screen handheld that had JARVIS accessing the sound system within minutes.

"I apologize," he said in a loud voice, attracting the attention of most of the people in the gallery. "But I think a change of tune is in order."

"Shoot to Thrill", Tony's default song from one of his favorite bands, began playing. Tony smiled as he watched several heads whip around in the general direction of him or up to the speakers and frown.

His eyebrows went up as he noticed one person look around, find a speaker, and _smile_.

Immediately Tony gave her a once over. Tall, brunette, curly hair, green eyes, tasteful glasses, pouty red lips, catchy smile, and an amazing set of curves. He decided that her legs looked positively sinful in the heels she had on and wanted her name at once. It had been a while since someone had stirred something inside him, months since he and Pepper had broken up.

"Hey, Pepper who's-" he began, moving closer to Pepper to ask her a question he hoped she knew the answer to.

But he was interrupted by Rhodey saying: "Ev!" and the woman he'd just been so intrigued by came click-clacking over with a gigantic grin on her face. She practically bounded her way into Rhodey's arms, her full curls bouncing as her smile glittered.

Tony blinked as he watched her whole body just light up as she responded with: "Rhodey!" and enveloped the Colonel in a hug. Pepper looked a little surprised, but recognition dawned on her face while shock remained on Tony's.

"Ev...angeline?" Pepper said slowly.

"That's me," the woman nodded, smiling at Pepper. "You must be the famous Pepper Potts." She shook Pepper's hand warmly and gently. She looked at Rhodey when she let Pepper's hand go. "Rhodey never stops gushing," she gave Pepper another close-lipped smile, the kind that held in the excitement.

"Um, hello?" Tony said, stepping into the conversation and into their circle. "Yeah, hi."

Rhodey turned his head to roll his eyes.

Tony stuck his hand out and the woman, Evangeline, met it with ease. She shook Tony's hand firmly with a quizzical smile and Tony could feel her green eyes attempting to read him. "Tony Stark," he said, his mask hardening in place. "I don't believe we've met."

"No," she said. "I don't believe we have. Dr. Evangeline Miller," she said as they finished shaking hands. "It's a pleasure, Mr. Stark."

"The pleasure is all mine," Tony said smoothly.

She gave him another close-lipped smile, her eyes still scanning.

"Doctor of what, may I ask?" Tony went on, diving into conversation as Pepper and Rhodey exchanged knowing glances.

"International Relations, Engineering, and Particle Physics," she said simply, accepting the champagne flute Tony handed her from a passing tray as he grabbed himself a third.

"Hmm," Tony said, giving an approving nod. "What brings you here?"

"Friend of the artist," she replied, the green eyes behind her glasses twinkled in an amused way.

"Ah," he nodded. "And how do you like the work?" He gestured, his hand stopping at the Iron Man sculpture.

She didn't bother looking around her. "Some of his best," she said, not missing a beat.

"I think it's all fantastic," Pepper interjected, glancing between the two of them.

"Definitely," Rhodey agreed, looking at Tony curiously.

"Isn't it?" Dr. Miller smiled, her gaze lingered on Tony before the side of her mouth quirked up and she turned to Pepper and Rhodey.

Dr. Miller? Evangeline? Ev, like Rhodey called her? Tony couldn't decide. He studied her discreetly as she shifted into conversation with Rhodey and Pepper.

Minutes ticked by and "Shoot to Thrill" eventually faded out and the horrible techno music was back.

"Well, that's my cue," Tony said, disposing of his champagne flute into a passing hand. He didn't bother looking at the surprised expression of the person as they glanced back at him. "Time's up."

"So when AC/DC stops playing the man of the hour leaves?" Dr. Miller asked, raising an eyebrow at Tony.

Tony gave her a smile. "Precisely, Dr. Miller."

"Evangeline," she said immediately.

Tony's smile grew an inch. "Precisely, Evangeline," he amended. His gaze shifted to his best friend and assistant. "See you tomorrow, Pepper. Business as usual."

He turned, ready to leave and ready to get out of the searching gaze of Dr. Evangeline Miller.

"Have fun kids," he said, walking out with his signature mask of calm enjoyment in place on his face. "Don't stay out too late."

* * *

"JARVIS," Tony said, happier in his lab with a glass of scotch and a piece of his newest model of the Iron Man suit that he was working on in front of him. "Run her."

"Of course, sir," JARVIS answered.

The screens in front of Tony immediately filled with information on the curious doctor. He flicked away pieces of files, credentials, articles, and awards as he scanned through a summary of the beautiful doctor's life while JARVIS narrated.

"Evangeline Alexis Miller," JARVIS supplied. "Doctorates in International Relations, Engineering, and Particle Physics. Known for starting college at an early age and establishing a diplomatic career in her early 20s. Her mother and father are deceased. Her father, Dr. James Miller, passed away most recently in 2002. She has a brother, Eli Alexander Miller, but he often works overseas and the two are loosely connected." JARVIS gave a brief summary of her work portfolio, but he didn't have much on her personal life. "That is all I have, sir."

"Hm," Tony grunted as he leaned back in his chair. "CALTech. University of Oxford. Affiliated with the governments of five major countries and three of the world's top research facilities. Oh, what's this?"

Tony tapped and expanded an encrypted file. The insignia was scrambled, but he would bet his newest Audi that it was the SHIELD logo.

"JARVIS?" he prompted.

"I am sorry, sir," JARVIS said. "I do not have the clearance to access the requested file."

"Clearance" Tony repeated, rubbing his chin.

"If I may, sir," JARVIS went on. "Is there anything particular you would like to know?"

"Yeah," Tony said shortly, waving all of the files away and prepping his soldering station. His mind was already moving on. The good doctor could wait. "Why is someone who looks like her, with the degrees she has, affiliated with the people that she is, looking so closely at _me_?"

He knew the woman all of ten minutes and he simply couldn't forget just how penetrating her gaze felt. He didn't like it one bit.

"Perhaps someone else should answer that question," JARVIS offered. "Like yourself?"

"Just put AC/DC on JARVIS," Tony sighed softly. He picked up the handle of the soldering station and worked until Pepper pulled him away from his desk.

* * *

Author's Note: Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC. I picked this one mostly because it's Tony's obvious theme song. Just a bit of a kick start!


	2. This Fire

"Ready?" Pepper asked, handing Tony a tie to go with his suit.

Tony didn't answer. He just took the tie from Pepper's oustretched hand and tied it around his neck.

"Tony," Pepper tried again. "It's just a press conference. A few questions about the Vanko incident. That's it."

"I know," Tony murmured.

He hated talking about the Vanko incident. He hated answering questions about the Vanko incident. So much of the Vanko incident that didn't even have anything to _do_ with Vanko was what bothered him. Tony just wanted to avoid the press conference altogether. He finished the glass of scotch on the bed stand and faced his mirror.

"Fine," was all he said and let Pepper lead him out of Stark Tower.

* * *

"Mr. Stark, are there any new developments in the possibility that someone else might possess Iron Man technology?"

"Tony! Tony, what do you have to say about your volatile behavior these past few months. Have you changed?"

"Mr. Stark, what _made_ you change?"

"Tony! How is Stark Industries doing with its clean energy initiative?"

"Mr. Stark!" "Mr. Stark!" "Tony!"

Tony was glad when it was over. Glad when he didn't have to make witty banter, constantly waver between smiling and serious, and play games with the horde of reporters that always seemed to love throwing questions at him. There were so many repeats, so much that he had already answered, dealt with, and moved past. But these people insisted on bringing it all up again.

He immediately downed another glass of scotch the second he was out of the view of reporters. Pepper didn't say anything.

"Anything else?" Tony asked, checking his watch.

"Only one today," her tone was gentle.

"Good, let's go."

Pepper didn't object and Tony was grateful.

The reporters and photographers who didn't have clearance to enter the press conference clamored for his attention once he stepped away from the conference room. He was grateful for security then too.

Happy navigated them through the sea of people and Tony managed to avoid most questions. He let them snap their photographs and let out a quiet breath when he slid into the car and Happy drove them away.

* * *

Pepper and Tony officially lit up Stark Tower as a system that ran off the city grid two weeks after the press conference. Tony saw Evangeline a total of one time, at a benefit concert for NASA that he had been forced to attend by Pepper. He was starting to think that Pepper dragged him to these events for reasons other than she and Rhodey needed company or he had to attend because of a Stark Industries affiliation. It was in Pepper's smile whenever Dr. Miller came up in passing conversation; she wanted to push them together.

Tony was wary of this fact, unsure of how he felt he should react. He wasn't even sure what to think, which was a disconcerting first.

Did he want to be pushed closer to the doctor? He did find her interesting and beautiful. And he knew she was smart. He even longed for a bigger taste of what seemed like some sharp wit. All the things Tony loved in a woman. So where was the reluctance coming from? He was Tony Stark for God's sake.

Tony stared out into the Manhattan skyline from his wonderful view at the newly energy independent Stark Tower. Pepper had just left, draining her champagne glass and then bidding him goodnight and good luck and that she'd call in the morning. She was leaving for D.C. in a few days to handle Stark press and start the plans for the next tower that would hopefully also run independently from another city grid. They just had to pick the city.

"Sir, Agent Coulson is calling," JARVIS informed him, cutting through his reverie.

Tony turned away from the view and into the kitchen to refill his champagne glass. "I'm out," he said shortly.

"He says it's urgent," JARVIS went on.

Tony sighed and sipped his champagne. "I'm out," he repeated. "On _urgent_ business."

"I'm afraid my security protocols are being overridden," JARVIS said five minutes later, clearly not sounding afraid at all. "Agent Coulson here to see you," JARVIS amended as Agent Phil Coulson walked into Tony's kitchen.

"Security breach!" Tony shouted immediately.

Coulson simply stood there, holding what looked like an electronic SHIELD packet.

"What do you want? I'm celebrating," Tony drawled, sipping champagne.

"Packet for you," Coulson said, giving the electronic device under his arm a wave. "Director Fury's orders. Need you to look at it."

He held it out and Tony made a face.

"I don't like being handed things," he said, stepping away from the packet.

"Here," Dr. Miller's voice came before her clacking heels as she walked around the corner of the hallway she'd no doubt been exploring. Tony hadn't even seen her come in.

He tried his best not to let his jaw drop. She had a business suit on, but he could see the SHIELD clearance badge swing on her hip underneath the hem of her black blazer.

"Celebrating what?" she asked, setting up the packet as it flicked on and files began filling its screens. She turned to him, leaned against his kitchen counter and put her hands on her hips.

Tony realized her smile was friendly so he took the hips as a natural resting pose. Although whenever Pepper seemed to do it Tony found himself in trouble. He sipped champagne to get his bearings and ignored the knowing smile forming on Coulson's face.

"Stark Tower becoming independently run on one of my new arc reactors." Tony tossed the sentence out there like it was nothing, but he and Pepper had done an outrageous amount of work.

Evangeline raised an eyebrow. "Impressive," she allowed. "Congratulations."

"Yeah, thanks," Tony said, gulping the champagne now. Why was she here? "Have a glass of champagne while you're at it. Celebrate. Yay."

Agent Coulson didn't waste any time after that. He picked up where he left off. "Miss Potts is being flown out to D.C. a day early. Colonel Rhodes has been notified." He shifted his gaze to Evangeline. "Ev, a SHIELD jet will be waiting for you when you finish here."

"Thank you, Phil," she said, keeping her eyes on Tony.

Tony looked at Coulson. "What's with the 'Phil'? His first name is Agent."

"Do your homework Stark," Coulson said, walking out of the kitchen and towards the living room to go through it to the elevator. "We'll be expecting you."

Tony watched Dr. Miller - Evangeline? He wasn't sure if he wanted to call her that yet - set up and begin sifting through the files on his countertop so Tony made sure she wasn't paying attention to him before going after Agent Coulson. He slipped out of the kitchen and walked towards the elevator.

"Agent!" he said, keeping his voice at a medium volume, catching Coulson before he pressed the elevator button. "Wait."

"What do you want, Stark?" Agent Coulson asked, his face impassive as usual.

"I need to ask you some questions," Tony answered vaguely.

"Questions," Coulson stated flatly.

"Yes," Tony answered.

"About?"

"Dr. Evangeline Miller," Tony said, dropping his tone.

"Ev?" Agent Coulson clarified, giving Tony a suspicious look. "What do you need to know?"

"What is she doing in my kitchen?"

Coulson stared at him.

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes. "What is she doing with SHIELD?" Tony tried again.

"We need her expertise," Coulson said, eyeing Tony once more, warily this time. "She's working with one of our visiting nuclear physicists on a SHIELD project," the agent said. "Among other things."

"Super secret science stuff," Tony translated.

"Basically," Coulson allowed. "How do you know her?"

"Met her at an art gallery opening," Tony said, the fact was irrelevant to what he wanted to know. "Friend of a friend, apparently."

Coulson nodded. "She's worked with your friend, Colonel Rhodes, many times."

"Why?" Tony pressed.

"Her expertise," Coulson answered as if Tony was being stupid.

Tony wanted to whack him for being so tight lipped. "You're not helping me," he complained.

"Clearance, Stark," the agent shrugged. "She has it and you don't. I wouldn't let it bother you too much. She's been involved with SHIELD longer than you."

"Oh please," Tony snorted. "She's younger than me."

"I believe while you were graduating MIT she was completing an accelerated degree at CALTech," Coulson said, itching to get on with his business.

"What are you, best friends?" Tony said in disbelief, looking at the agent with surprise.

"Maybe," Coulson replied. "Are you done?"

"Not really," Tony replied in the same tone.

The agent sighed. "What more do you want, Stark?"

"Answers," Tony said automatically.

Coulson stared at him again. "You don't know what you want," he stated. "Until you figure that out, I have work to do."

"Wait, can't I ask other questions?" Tony went on, following Agent Coulson as he proceeded down the hall. "About the Avengers Initiative?"

"Go back to your homework, Stark," Coulson said in a dismissive tone.

Tony's jaw set determinedly and he followed Coulson to the elevator door and was about to step into it with him.

"Stark, I don't need a puppy," Coulson said as he turned and stood in front of Tony. "Just ask Ev. You shouldn't need to bother me with this stuff."

"Yeah, yeah," Tony blinked at Coulson before waving a hand in consent and stepping back. "Whatever."

"Goodbye, Mr. Stark," Coulson said, and closed the elevator door in Tony's face.

Tony returned to where Dr. Miller was sitting on a stool, waiting for him with a patient expression on her face.

"Did you get what you wanted from Phil?" she asked.

Tony gave a shrug. "Needed to ask a few questions."

"And did you get your answers?" she asked.

"Some," Tony allowed. "Not all of them."

"A pity," she said, the corner of her mouth raised in an amused smile. "I doubt there's anything I can do to help."

Tony made sure his face was a blank mask. "Maybe you can, maybe you can't," he said. "What are _you_ doing with SHIELD?"

"Classified," she answered immediately. Her gaze was hard and her mouth, which was deep pink today, was set in a hard line.

"Why?" he pressed for the second time that day.

"Even the reason is classified," she said flatly. Her expression softened after a few seconds. "I'm sorry, Tony, but I can't tell you anything."

"Hm," was all he said.

"Why do you want to know what I'm doing here?" she asked, her eyes narrowing at him.

_Abort_, Tony's mind said. Pepper wore that same expression all too often and he never liked what came out of her mouth following it.

"Had some questions about you," Tony said in the best noncommittal tone he could muster.

"Why couldn't you just ask me?" she cocked her head to the side a fraction of an inch.

Tony tried not to stare at the curves beneath her skirt. He noticed that she worked in high heels too.

"SHIELD related," Tony said, keeping his answers short.

A knowing look crossed her face. She smiled and Tony felt like he was going to be in trouble. "Ah," she said, fighting back a grin. "You don't have clearance."

Tony simply looked at her, exasperated.

"Well I really am sorry, Tony," she said, getting up from the stool with a light sigh. "But if you wanted to know something about me you could have asked."

All of a sudden Tony Stark felt like he hadn't been thinking clearly in the last few hours. What was going on? He hadn't felt this confused in... well, ever. He was never this confused. The only time he had come close to being so puzzled was when he was trying to sort things with Pepper.

_Oh god_, Tony thought as he watched Evangeline watch him. _Pepper was right. I_ like _her_.

"Your packet," she gestured to the screens, changing the subject. "Shall we?"

"Why are you staying?" Tony asked, eyeing the doctor as she stepped aside when he came closer yet stayed within three feet of Tony. The distance made him nervous; he wasn't sure how to act around her. They were acquaintances, yet here she was standing in his penthouse.

"Orders," she answered. "And because I want to."

Tony raised an eyebrow at her as he clapped his hands together and spread the files out into the air in front of him. His eyes narrowed and widened. "SHIELD wants me to take a look at _this_?" he asked. It was bordering on strategically ironic that he had just mentioned the subject to Coulson. "This is the Avengers Initiative. Wasn't it-?"

"Scrapped?" she finished for him. "Yes. But there's something else." She crossed to his right side and pointed at a separate file, the little blue cube in front of her lighting up as her finger touched it. "The tesseract."

Tony stared at it. Instantly, memories of his father, Howard Stark, came back and all the childhood times Tony would rather forget flashed by. His father had been working on the Captain America project and was related to the tesseract. It was because of his father that both of the Captain and tesseract were even fished out of the water. And the things that came with those two relics were pieces of information Tony didn't want to know. But he did.

"You recognize it." She looked at him curiously. It wasn't a question.

"Uh, yeah," Tony said, looking at the separate files instead of the tesseract. "Dad worked on it. Well, some stuff related to it."

"Hm," was all she said. Tony was a bit grateful for that.

"So you take orders from SHIELD now?" he asked, looking at her with curiosity.

Dr. Miller smiled, but there was none of it in her bright eyes. "I've been taking orders from SHIELD for a while, actually."

"Really?" Tony said, keeping the conversation going.

"Still looking for answers?" she quipped.

"Always am," he said smoothly. After a beat of silence Tony asked another question. "Where is your SHIELD jet taking you?" he asked. He surprised himself with the fact that he really wanted to know.

The green eyes behind her glasses were guarded as she looked at him. She crossed her arms over her chest, inadvertently pushing the cut in her blouse apart. Tony stared very hard at her face.

"Where I'm always going," she said evasively. _The Helicarrier_, she thought. And the information hung silently in the air between them. _I'm always going back there_.

"Super secret stuff," Tony smiled, but just like her there was nothing amused in it.

Evangeline smiled back, and there was still none of it in her eyes. "Something like that." She clapped her hands together, stepping away from her lean on his counter. "So," she said. "Are you good?" She pointed a finger at him, "Don't need anything?"

"You know if you want me to stop asking questions maybe you shouldn't direct so many of them at me," Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest.

She grinned, but it was a sort of patronizing type grin. "Maybe that was a bad thing to ask," she allowed. "How about: Do you have any questions on what you have to _do_?"

"What is it, exactly, that I have to _do_?" Tony asked, finally looking back at the tesseract file.

"Become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics overnight," Dr. Miller answered with an easy smile. "Shouldn't be too hard." She began walking away.

Tony watched her get halfway to the door and at the start of his living room before he stopped her.

"Wait," he said, taking a step towards her.

She turned. "Yes, Mr. Stark?" Her smile was patient again.

Tony ran a hand through his tousled hair, his champagne glass forgotten. "Could you leave your number with JARVIS? I might have a few questions once I'm done."

The corner of Evangeline's mouth rose and Tony _knew_ he was going to be in trouble this time. "JARVIS already has my number," she said, smiling her close-lipped smile. "You made sure of that."

Tony blinked. "Well, I did get your file but I thought it would be a bit more polite, I guess, to ask for it in person so-"

"I know," she assured him, smiling over her shoulder as she turned to walk away again. "Which is why I gave my _correct_ number to JARVIS while I was in your elevator. The one in my file is a business number that redirects you to SHIELD." She gave Tony a glittering smile. "JARVIS now has my cell number."

Tony smiled back, amusement rising easily onto his face. Oh this woman was good.

"Enjoy your homework, Tony," she said in sing-song voice and disappeared into the living room and to the elevator.

Tony waited for it to ding shut before sitting back down on a stool.

"If I may," JARVIS interrupted. "Dr. Miller has in fact, given me her cell phone number. I have made the appropriate corrections to her file records."

"Thanks, JARVIS." The smile on Tony's face didn't fade until late that evening.

* * *

Author's Note: This Fire by Franz Ferdinand.

The first verse just screams Ev and Tony to me.

"Eyes, boring a way through me  
Paralyse, controlling completely  
Now there is a fire in me  
A fire that burns."

R&R if you please! Or not. You don't have to.


	3. Fade Together

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Agent Hill had asked him, looking at Tony as if seeing him for the first time.

"Last night," Tony had answered. _Thank you, Dr. Miller_, he couldn't help thinking at the time. "Am I the only one that did the reading?" he quipped.

* * *

Tony went hunting for Evangeline when they dispersed to their respective fields and areas of the Helicarrier. He told Bruce he'd meet him in their lab in ten minutes since he needed to grab some Stark tech first.

_Partially true_, he thought as he took the time to find her lab. It was in a different direction that he had to go to find Bruce's so he made a mental note. Tony looked at the clearance pad that would allow him into the room.

"JARVIS?" he called, referring to the AI system via the bluetooth in his ear. He had JARVIS running everything he needed to know that was in the SHIELD systems as soon as he had hit the deck of the Helicarrier and he kept JARVIS live on his Stark phone while he ran files.

"You are authorized, sir," JARVIS confirmed.

"Great," Tony muttered and immediately opened the door. "Thanks for the advice," Tony said, coming up slowly behind her. He could see the laugh in her narrow shoulders.

"And how does it feel to be an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" she asked, turning and smiling at him. He saw the discreet motion of her hand, swiping all the information she was working on out of plain sight. She hadn't meant for him to catch it so Tony made sure his smile didn't waver.

"Wonderful," he lied with a grin. "Just another thing to add to the list." His smile faded as he regarded her with an expression that was almost judgmental. "So," Tony said, coming closer.

Her eyes never left his as she watched him. Tony could feel something like trepidation just rolling off her body.

"The place you're always going?" he gestured around the lab and then raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry, Tony," she said, having the decency to look apologetic even if she didn't look away. She seemed to be saying that a lot to him lately. He wondered what else she was sorry for. "I'm not allowed to divulge my location when it involves SHIELD."

"Not even to a SHIELD consultant?" Tony offered an easy smile.

She shook her head, the curly-haired ponytail at the back of it swung and she pursed her lips, which were a light red for the day.

"But we ended up in the same place," Tony pointed out. He just wanted to find some common ground with her. Why did she make it so hard? "It would have been nice to know a familiar face would be here."

She gave him the close-lipped smile he was getting used to seeing and crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes regarded him with new curiosity_. What do you want from me, Tony?_ her eyes asked him.

"You know Director Fury and Agent Coulson," she stated.

Tony gave her a look. "I meant someone who knows what I'm talking about when I explain the nuclear fission of an arc reactor and what to do when engine relays are on overload," Tony amended in a sarcastic tone.

"That would be Dr. Banner," Evangeline answered smoothly. "You know his file."

"Oh yeah, huge fan of his work," Tony nodded emphatically, repeating his words from earlier. "And his ability to turn into a green rage monster. Love that."

He could see her fight back an eye roll as her cute little mouth tightened. Wait, did he just call her mouth cute? And little?

"You know you never tell me anything of actual substance," Tony remarked casually, delving into sensitive territory.

The amused tilt in her mouth disappeared completely. "There's a reason for that," she said, her voice quiet.

"And is it a good reason, Dr. Miller?" he pressed. How could he get to know a woman he liked if she didn't let him?

"Evangeline," she corrected. "Dr. Miller is my brother." She gave a light sigh before continuing. "And no, I don't think it's a good reason. However, it's not _my_ reason."

Tony understood when she met his eyes after looking down in true shame. A SHIELD reason.

"I can't let anyone know where I'm going or doing when SHIELD is involved unless they're family or a spouse," Evangeline said, voice soft again.

Tony felt a twinge then as he attempted to lighten the mood. "And I'm neither of those things," he quipped.

"No," she admitted, but Tony caught the hopeful lilt at the end of the word and it made him smile.

_But I could be?_ he thought.

"Would you like to see what I'm working on?" Tony asked, gesturing to the door. "You can meet Dr. Banner."

"I'm no longer involved with the tesseract," she said, still quiet, but she didn't make a move in the direction of her work or Tony.

Tony ignored the question that dangled on his lips. _No longer?_ his mind prompted. He shook the thought away, it wasn't on his agenda for the moment.

"But you'll come anyway?" he prompted, giving her a beckoning grin.

She gave him the kind of look a mother gives an eager child and followed him out of the lab door. They got halfway to the lab designated for Bruce before Evangeline was pulled aside by a SHIELD agent.

"Dr. Miller," the young and spry man in a SHIELD uniform appeared at her side.

"I thought you said 'Dr. Miller' was your brother," Tony remarked, gauging her face.

She had the hard line back in her mouth. "He is," she looked at him. "Somehow, you can't drill that into the mind of a SHIELD agent."

"A moment," the agent pressed. "Alone."

She didn't look very surprised, but slowed her long strides. "Ah," she sighed. "One second," she assured Tony, waving him on. "I'll be there in five."

Tony nodded, reluctant to leave as he turned away. His feet carried him along toward the correct lab.

* * *

"What is it?" she asked, stepping into a doorway to speak to the agent.

"Director Fury would ask that you handle the council in the event he cannot," the agent informed her.

"What about Agents Hill and Coulson?" she asked, frowning.

"He would like you present," the agent gave a curt not.

"And you said: 'In the event that he cannot?'" Dr. Miller repeated, but the agent didn't offer any answers. She didn't expect Fury to just get up and die all of a sudden, making the phrase sound a bit strange. _A cautionary measure_, she decided. She sighed and nodded.

"And your uniform for your remaining stay on the Helicarrier," he said, handing her a folded outfit that looked a lot like what Agent Maria Hill ran around in.

"Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing now?" she asked.

"Director's orders," the agent said and left.

_Another cautionary measure?_ her mind offered. But she highly doubted that. The more time she spent in association with SHIELD, the more Evangeline Miller felt like she'd never get away. She knew too much.

* * *

She walked in the middle of a conversation between Bruce and Tony, waiting until the recognizable Captain America had left before making her entrance.

"Well," Tony said, grinning and giving her a once over. He was taking too much pleasure in the fact that the SHIELD uniform hugged the doctor's body all too well. "You look like all of the others running around this place."

Evangeline made a face. "I'd prefer to be in anything but this get up."

"Not a SHIELD agent at heart?" Tony teased.

"A scientist and a diplomat through and through," she said, giving a proud tilt of her head with a smile.

It was Tony's turn to make a face. "I don't really like diplomats," he said, popping a blueberry into his mouth. "Or senators," he added, making a face.

Evangeline cocked her head at him and gave a smile. "And yet you like me," she grinned.

Tony smiled. "Touché, but you're not a senator."

"No," Ev allowed and they shared a wider smile. "Thank goodness for that."

Bruce quietly cleared his throat. Tony and Evangeline looked away from each other in the blink of an eye.

"Dr. Banner," Evangeline smiled, shaking the scientist's hand. "It's a pleasure."

"Likewise," Bruce nodded politely. "I'm familiar with your work. Many talents."

"Hardly," she gave him a glittering smile and then turned away from both men as a communicator at her side beeped. She glanced at her watch. "I have a meeting with a Russian ambassador," she announced, giving both of them a smile. "Happy hunting, gentlemen."

Tony watched her go, his brow furrowing as he saw a shadow pass over her face. His eyes flicked to her quick glance at the Phase 2 file he had JARVIS running. Tony raised an eyebrow at her retreating form.

What _was_ Phase 2, and why did Evangeline know about it?

_ "I'm no longer involved with the tesseract," she had said quietly._

* * *

An explosion rocked the Helicarrier and Evangeline's head snapped around, looking towards the door. She gripped the side of the table she was leaning against as the room tilted.

"I apologize ambassador, but something else of importance requires my attention," she said in Russian to the form she was talking to via video feed. "I trust we are done for the moment?"

The man nodded and their disconnected their call.

"Dr. Miller," a voice said, the doors of her lab sliding open.

Evangeline was in the middle of shutting down and backing up all of her files. Research, appointments, and diplomatic dealings - all on a safe hard drive. She turned and found the same agent that had given her a SHIELD uniform standing in front of her.

"I'm to escort you to the command center," he said, his eyes fixed on hers. He held out a standard SHIELD gun to her. "I understand you have undergone basic training as well as training with Agent Romanoff. Director Fury wants you armed."

Evangeline nodded, numbly taking the gun and checking the clip. "Thank you," she forced out.

The agent nodded. "Let's go."

They walked briskly through the halls and more than twice Evangeline found herself dodging people. She saw Tony and Captain America scramble from Bruce's lab moments after the blast shocked the entire Helicarrier. Ev gasped as she was thrown against the wall by the SHIELD agent at her side as they let people pass them who were under more urgent business. Her eyes met Tony's as he passed and she saw the raw emotion in them, most likely a reflection of her own.

"Good luck," she mouthed and then he was gone.

Director Fury was there all of a sudden shouting orders and walking briskly to the command center. Dr. Miller found herself running after him.

It was a place teetering between organized and chaotic and Evangeline froze for a few seconds when she saw the commotion. An engine down? She picked up tidbits of the crisis as she found an out of the way place to position herself. _Tony can fix that_, she thought.

"Calm down," she told herself sternly. "Be useful."

"Grenade!" Agent Hill's voice shouted and Ev ducked on instinct. The blast shook the command center and rattled Evangeline's resolve. She didn't belong here.

Immediately gunfire was echoing all around. Before she knew it her gun was in hand. She fired on instinct, responding to enemy bullets by adding her own to the fray from Hill and Fury's guns.

"They are not getting in here," she heard Fury growl.

_No,_ she agreed. _But maybe they don't want to. A distraction?_ Her eyes frantically scanned for weak spots and saw Fury fire on an archer. _Agent Barton_, she realized. _The one who was compromised._

"No!" she shouted a moment too late, lunging for the port Agent Barton had shot an arrow at. Instantly the SHIELD mainframe was accessed and scrambled. The screens fizzled out and Ev sprang to her feet, holstering her gun. Forget firing weapons. She had a better change of trying to fire up the computers.

* * *

"Agent Coulson is down" rang in her ears long after she had pulled out the SHIELD earpiece she had been given with her uniform. She wanted to smash it or fire a bullet at it for giving such bad news as it sat on the table. She wanted to claw the outfit off. She wanted to get off the Helicarrier. She tore the gun from her hip and let it clatter on the empty table of the lab she had sought refuge in. She buried her head in her hands.

"You knew him well," Tony's voice said, behind her once again. Evangeline hoped he wasn't making that a habit.

"Yes," she sniffled. "I even set him up with my friend in an orchestra," she said. But it all didn't matter now.

"The cellist," Tony went on.

"Mmhm," Evangeline murmured, biting back more tears.

"Fury said Coulson died believing in heroes," Tony whispered.

"More than anything," she agreed, her throat tightening.

"I'm not a hero, Ev."

Tony had decided to call her Ev three seconds before he had entered the room. When he saw her bury her head in her hands it clicked. Evangeline was too long and too beautiful for someone like him to use, and Dr. Miller was too formal. Tony couldn't pinpoint when they'd passed formalities, but in the few conversations they'd shared he had learned more about her by staring into her eyes than he ever thought he would have. She was Ev now, and that wasn't going to change.

Ev turned to look at him, tears on her face as she saw the anger in Tony's eyes. "Yes, you are," she said truthfully. She stepped towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Of course you're a hero."

"No," Tony shook his head, looking away.

Evangeline fell silent, taking her hand back, not sure if she should press the subject.

Tony tapped a few fingers on his leg, conflicting emotions at war on his face. he knocked his knuckles on a table as he walked towards it and stared at her with an intense gaze.

"What do you know about Phase 2?" he half-demanded.

Ev looked at the ground and when she met Tony's gaze she threw all caution to the wind. "I started working with the tesseract a few years ago, when SHIELD brought me in to determine if it could be used as a proper energy source with today's technology."

"Erik Selvig has been in charge of that," Tony said, staring at her.

"He took over when I found out why I as studying the tesseract," Evangeline said softly. "I didn't want to be a part of Phase 2. SHIELD kindly let me back off the project."

"And yet you're still here."

She fought back a frown. "When you know as much about SHIELD business as I do... for a civilian, I mean. Well, they'll constantly find reasons to bring you in for whatever they might need."

"Apparently they need you a lot," Tony observed.

"Far too much for my liking," she sighed. Tears formed in her eyes and her lower lip trembled. "Phil was my first friend at SHIELD."

"He was the first person I really met from SHIELD," Tony reflected. Already, he was turning away. Already she had lost him.

"You're a hero, Tony," Evangeline said gently. "No matter what you say."

Tony didn't respond as he walked out.

* * *

Author's Note: Fade Together by Franz Ferdinand (Can you tell I like Franz Ferdinand?)

"So far away  
Come on I'll take you far away  
Let's get away  
Come on let's make a get away

Once you have loved someone this much  
you doubt it could fade  
despite how much you'd like it to  
God how you'd like it to fade."


	4. The Fallen

Evangeline worked frantically with the other SHIELD agents as they recovered from Agent Barton's attack. He was apparently influenced by a touch of the mischief god, Loki's, staff that happened to be connected to the tesseract. Ev found another reason to be glad that she had politely quit that project. With some furious programming they had the systems up and running. She watched Tony leave in his Iron Man suit followed by a SHIELD jet that no doubt held his fellow remaining team mates. She gave a quick glance over her shoulder, opened a secure and isolated communication port on the computer in front of her and hacked into JARVIS' system that was within Tony's suit.

"Tony?" she said quietly.

She heard the air roaring on the other end and waited for Tony to answer.

"Ev?" he said it slowly, sounding surprised.

Evangeline tried not to grin.

"Did you just hack JARVIS?" Tony demanded, sounding slightly impressed. "Can Fury hear this?"

"No," Ev whispered. "Private line. I commandeered a SHIELD computer. As long as you hear me first you're talking to just me."

"And if you disconnect and I were to speak everyone in the command center would have the chance to hear me," Tony finished.

"Precisely," she said. "I'll keep these brief. I just wanted to say it one more time: Good luck, Tony."

"Thanks, Ev," he said quietly.

"Kick ass," she offered.

"Will do," he said. She heard the smile in his voice and smiled in spite of everything.

Evangeline took a breath before blocking her and Tony's comm.

* * *

Ev followed the Avengers' progress closely, flinching every time Tony's voice came through her comm. Fury didn't broadcast all of the exchanges, but Ev kept her end open, making sure she knew what was going on. She multitasked on what felt like hyper speed as she worked with all the other agents to proof and reboot the mainframe properly while doing her own diagnostics on the engine that Tony and Steve worked to get up and running.

She jumped slightly in her seat when she heard Tony ask JARVIS for something she didn't recognize. It sounded like a weapon. She checked the GPS dot that she could see because she was linked to JARVIS. What was he doing at Stark Tower? She flicked open their comm.

"Tony?" she asked softly.

"Not now, Ev," Tony murmured. "JARVIS prep the Mach VII."

Evangeline's brow furrowed but she didn't say anything. She split her attention again, not listening until she heard Tony's tone change.

"Let's do a head count shall we?" Tony said, his tone light but the venom was apparent. She listened to him list Thor, the Captain, Natasha and Clint.

_But what about you_? Ev thought with a frown. _You're a part of the team as much as any of them._

"We have a Hulk," Tony's voice came through, entirely threatening as the playful tone disappeared. "There is no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because maybe we can't protect the Earth, but you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

Ev felt her throat tighten. How could he not see it within himself?

"Oh, Tony," she sighed.

The next thing she knew Tony was shouting for JARVIS. Her brow furrowed and her fingers clenched. Tony Stark, what are you up to?

"Oh, and there's someone else you pissed off," Tony growled. "His name is Phil."

"Tony," Evangeline said a few beats later, waiting to make sure he was okay. "You're a part of that team as much as the Captain, Thor, Natasha, Bruce and Clint. Don't you dare think anything different."

He sighed. "I don't know how many times I'm going to have to correct you on that, Ev. I'm not a hero."

"You are," Evangeline insisted. "To me and everyone else. Don't think any different about _that_ either."

Tony muttered something about "women" and "being stubborn" and the corner of Ev's mouth rose in amusement.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Tony quipped. "Excuse me while I blow up some aliens."

"JARVIS," Ev said sternly. She ignored Tony's exasperated sigh and the words he muttered again about "stubborn" and "hacking".

"Yes, ma'am," JARVIS answered.

"Take care of him," she ordered.

"Of course."

* * *

Ev didn't find cause to speak to Tony until two hours had passed. She was so hard at work, her attention divided in so many directions that she didn't notice Fury leave to talk to the council and she only stopped working when she felt everyone in the command center stop movement altogether.

"I've got a missile coming in," Tony said in her ear, talking to his fellow Avengers. "And I know just where to put it."

Evangeline stood slowly, staring at the video feed every other SHIELD agent was watching. _Tony_, her mind begged, _what are you doing? _

"You are," she whispered. "A hero."

"Shall I phone Ms. Potts, sir?" JARVIS asked.

Ev blinked and she heard Tony hesitate. _I'm right here_, she thought desperately. _You know that. Call Pepper._

"Might as well," Tony answered.

She watched as Tony drove the missile through the portal and failed to cheer with every other agent. She was too shocked as she sank down into her seat.

"Tony," she whispered. "Don't deny what I said now. Of all the choices you could have made you chose this one. A hero, Tony," she reminded him. "And nothing less."

Evangeline chewed on her bottom lip, listening to JARVIS make the call. Was the Iron Man suit made for extended intergalatic travel? A pit began forming in her stomach.

"Tony I need you to do me a favor," Ev whispered. The entire command center was on edge. All she received was a choked gasp on Tony's end. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Come back in one piece, okay? I don't care if it's mentally, physically, or emotionally. _Just come back._ There are so many questions and answers we haven't gotten to yet, you know." She gave a tear filled chuckle. "You had better come back, Tony Stark or I'm going to be very angry with you." She waited a beat for Tony's reaction but all she heard was his gasping breath.

"Please, Tony."

"I'm sorry, sir. The call could not be completed," JARVIS' voice was like a knife to the heart.

And then she heard nothing. She buried her face in her hands.

When the entire room seemed to sigh Ev dared to peek from her fingers. She tapped a few keys on her computer and listened in Captain America's comm when JARVIS refused to answer. Nothing there.

_Come on, Tony_. She stared intensely at her computer, waiting for JARVIS signal to come back up. _Come on. _

The roar of the Hulk tore through her eavesdropping of the Captain's comms and JARVIS' signal beeped on her screen. Evangeline finally let out a deep breath and smiled weakly.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Consider this me owing you one."

She disconnected, leaving Tony's recuperation private. She was ready to be rid of SHIELD for a while.

"Director Fury," she said, approaching the director as he headed for the exit of the command center. No doubt he was going to some council meeting or something. "Permission to leave, sir? I have a request from CERN that must be answered immediately."

Fury raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Very well, Dr. Miller. Remain on call. The press and several governments will want interviews and conferences with the Avengers. And I imagine the mayor of New York will call some sort of hearing. It'll probably go on for who knows how long. We'll need you."

"I'll stand by," she assured him. _As best as I can stand by while working on a particle accelerator_, she thought.

They began walking their separate ways when Fury turned to say something else.

"Oh and Agent Miller," he called.

Evangeline turned slowly, her hands clenched in reaction and she stared at Fury. "I thought we agreed I wasn't an agent," she eyed the director warily. "And never would be."

"My mistake," Fury said, even though his face didn't change at all. "It was the uniform," he waved a hand in apology.

Ev didn't buy it for a second. It was a reminder loud and clear

"It suits you, by the way."

"Thank you," Evangeline bit out, her jaw clenched.

She stared at him until he turned away and then went the opposite direction. She found her things without too much trouble and changed out of the horrible SHIELD uniform. She slipped into a pair of change clothes that she had packed, keeping her SHIELD clearance badge with her borrowed uniform and gun. She didn't want to take it back unless she had to.

Sometimes she wished SHIELD hadn't noticed her. There was a price to pay for knowing too much. Evangeline slid her feet into a pair of ballet flats, gathered her things and made sure to carefully stow her hard drive's copy of her work in a secure pocket, and left as much of SHIELD behind her as she could.

She wanted more than anything to find Tony and give him an enormous hug, but work was calling. Sometimes it was better to have work to fall back on.

* * *

Author's Note: The Fallen by Franz Ferdinand

I feel like this needs a bit more explanation because it's such a short chapter, which I apologize for.

"So we stole and drank Champagne  
On the seventh seal you said you never feel pain  
"I never feel pain, won't you hit me again?"  
"I need a bit of black and blue to be a rotation"

In my blood I feel the bubbles burst  
There was a flash of fist, an eyebrow burst  
You've a lazy laugh and a red white shirt  
I fell to the floor fainting at the sight of blood

Yeah, you've already been  
We've already seen  
That the fallen are the virtuous among us  
Walk among us  
If you judge us  
We're all damned."


	5. About Today

Heads up, this is my favorite chapter. With good reason. R&R if you agree? :D

* * *

After the battle and shawarma and settling back into Stark Tower, Tony found himself wondering nearly every other hour where he might find Evangeline. Her name was on his lips when Hulked out Bruce scared him alive after falling out of the sky. He didn't actually keep track of what time it was or what day of the month, none of that really mattered. Manhattan was a smoking ruin and he had been forced to ignore all calls because most of them were either complaints or thank yous. And Tony didn't really want to hear either at the moment.

Ev had asked him to do her a favor and he had come back. How was he supposed to collect on that "one" she owed him if he couldn't find her? Tony had JARVIS call her precisely the moment after he took of his Iron Man suit and no longer smelt like sweat and grime. He received no answer.

"I'm sorry, sir," JARVIS had said. "The call cannot be completed."

Tony refused to let that phrase ever be repeated again. He didn't call after that. When they finally had a debriefing meeting that talked extensively about the damage and all the things the Avengers were accused and thanked for (the accused part caused a lot of arguing and terrible strategizing) Tony found another chance.

He was out of the command center room in seconds, the moment they were done, and went through the halls to see if she might be in her lab or any lab. But he never saw her face or heard her voice. Tony frowned as he turned to go back the way he had come and found himself face to face with Agent Maria Hill.

Tony had stepped back in surprise and blinked at the agent. "Yes?" he had asked warily.

Agent Hill studied him. "What are you looking for?"

"Someone," Tony had said evasively.

He had made a mental note then to always remember how dangerous Maria Hill looked when her eyes narrowed. "Dr. Miller?" she had guessed.

Was he that readable?

"Maybe," Tony had murmured.

"She left on a SHIELD jet as soon as the city was safe," Hill said, her tone had been clipped, as if the information was nothing. "CERN called her in. She's been gone since."

"Oh," Tony had said, still processing. "Thanks."

He had figured out that explained his call being incomplete and her lack of communication and the fact that he couldn't find her anywhere because she wasn't even in the _country_. But what he couldn't understand is why _she_ didn't contact _him_. Did CERN have her under house arrest or something? Tony highly doubted that one.

* * *

Evangeline didn't leave the CERN facility in Switzerland until Fury called her a month later. She was met by Agent Hill and sorely wished for Coulson in that moment.

Her entire month at CERN she had felt guilty that she didn't try to contact Tony. It wasn't that she couldn't. It was just that every time she went near a phone her hand would reach for it but could never complete the call.

It took her a while but she eventually recognized the behavior she was putting herself through. Evangeline had set herself on lockdown. She buried herself in her particle physics research, working with a dozen other brilliant minds on the particle accelerator and the search to understand dark matter. She wanted to immerse herself in science, what she loved in the first place, so that she wouldn't harbor a hatred for SHIELD. Ev had sorely missed the feel of working to figure something out. She wasn't keen on taking orders and being called on like a dependable puppy.

But when Director Fury sent Agent Hill over with a briefing packet and a jet to take her to Washington D.C., she didn't object. A month had been a suitable amount of time for Evangeline to regroup in her head. And she was eager to see Tony again.

* * *

Evangeline didn't get to physically see Tony until three days after she had landed and settled into D.C. It was a familiar place for her and she relaxed when her body fell into a familiar rhythm. She started wearing her business clothes again, happy to stand in heels all day, just like she had at so many conferences and diplomatic meetings. It was a life she remembered and one before SHIELD. That fact made everything more important.

She didn't get to sit in on the Avengers briefing meeting and only had a few hours with each member of the superhero team to go over the Presidential cabinet meeting and what they might be asked. It wasn't too hard, coaching them on proper diplomatic etiquette and what the best kinds of responses might be. Ev spent a lot of time warning each member. She was more glad than she cared to admit that the Asgardian god, Thor, wasn't present.

Natasha insisted on talking in Russian every time they were in each other's company to keep Evangeline's Russian sharp. She had warned the Black Widow not to be prompted to answer any questions on her specific skill set if it was mentioned in a patronizing or negative way. Ev wanted to avoid mention of Natasha's past at all costs. She was not to be viewed as a threat in the meeting, but a worthy ally.

Clint's advice was pretty much the same since both master assassins were known for their unparalleled skills.

Bruce was a lot easier since the man behind the Incredible Hulk was gentle and intelligent. He assured her he had a tight reign on his anger and if he was in danger of tipping over the edge he had a signal system with his fellow team mates and Director Fury.

Evangeline had to do a lot of explaining with Steve since the super soldier had come from a different time. "Nothing about these senators is going to be honorable," she warned him. "Because you symbolize America the most they may attack you with some hard questions. Most of the country is grateful for what you all did. But there are some who want you to take the blame so that they don't have to. Don't be bated into anything rash. Just keep your cool and if you don't understand something, look to one of your friends or at me. I'll help as much as I can."

When it was Tony's turn Evangeline had waited until the door had shut behind him before immediately throwing herself into the billionaire's arms.

She hugged him tightly and muttered "Oh thank God" over and over again. Tony chuckled when she let go. "It's nice to see you too," he smiled.

Ev smiled back shyly and sat down next to him instead of across like she had done with the others. "How are you?" she asked quietly.

"I'm all right," Tony answered automatically. He wasn't sure what he was. "All of us are living in Stark Tower now."

Ev raised an eyebrow. "Never a dull moment," she quipped.

Tony grinned. "Nope."

"Business," Evangeline reminded him. "Before I forget."

Tony pouted for a bout three seconds before Ev gave him a look and cleared her throat. "Don't be too sarcastic," she warned him and Tony rolled his eyes. "You know senators don't like that."

Tony made a face.

"Don't make that face at me, Tony Stark," she said with a frown. "I know all about your spat with a certain senator from Pennsylvania. Play nice."

"Fine," Tony allowed, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back on the couch they were seated on.

As he leaned back the leather dipped and Ev slid, her thigh resting against Tony's. She automatically put her hand down, resting it on Tony's knee, to stop herself from tipping over. She gave him an exasperated look but Tony just smiled and put his right arm on the back of the couch. Ev gave him another look, one that probably said "don't try anything" before leaning back as well.

"You're the one with the most press experience, but this is different," Evangeline cautioned him. "The Cabinet has some sneaky questions. Answer carefully. They love to twist words. The President will be in attendance, but that doesn't change anything. You know that the Senate is stubborn and very good and getting things to swing their own way. You and all of the Avengers have to be careful around the cabinet."

"Because they influence the President," Tony filled in, angling his body so that he could see her face. "I know." He waved the topic aside. "More important questions," he announced. "Why did you leave so soon? I couldn't find you."

Ev dropped her eyes and Tony took her hand. "I had to," she said, her tone softer. "It was killing me to be in that room. I had to get away from SHIELD for a little while."

"So CERN didn't actually call you?" Tony prompted, his brow furrowing.

"No, they did," she assured him. "I was glad for it. Sometimes I spend too much time around SHIELD and it reminds me of how complicated my life has become." Ev sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't call. You have no idea how many times I reached for the phone and found myself incapable of dialing your number!"

Tony smiled at the expression on her face. "I wish you would have called," he said earnestly.

Evangeline put her hand on Tony's cheek on instinct. "I know," she said with a sad smile. "I wish I did." She found herself blushing as she stared too long into Tony's eyes and caressed Tony's cheek longer than she should have.

They both looked away from each other when they let each other go.

"Are you going to be in there?" Tony asked, changing the subject. "During the meeting?"

"Yes," Ev said, crossing her legs and adjusting her skirt. Her feet, in high-heeled Louboutins that day, tapped on the marble floor. "The President and I are good friends. He tells me his daughters are fond of me."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "And you have sleepovers with Angela Merkel on your free weekends?"

Evangeline rolled her eyes at him and laughed. Tony was glad her laugh hadn't changed.

"No," she gave him a look. "That would be a sight, though," she giggled.

Their eyes sparked at each other as they shared a grin. Ev realized in that moment how closely they were sitting together.

A knock on the door made both of them jump and slide farther apart.

"Ten minutes," Hill's voice announced.

"Thank you," Ev answered smoothly. She moved to rise from her seat next to Tony but hesitated. She looked back at him and he stared at her.

"You've uh," she paused. "You've all been briefed on the meeting's agenda right?"

Tony nodded, still staring. Evangeline realized he was searching. She leaned closer to him subconsciously. Her green eyes bore into his brown.

"Looking for something?" she whispered.

"An answer to my question," Tony murmured, his eyes scanned her face. He liked that she wasn't wearing glasses in that moment, it made her eyes clearer and more striking.

Ev raised an eyebrow. "Yet another one," she remarked.

The corner of Tony's mouth twitched up and her mouth, painted a classy berry, quirked up as well.

"Dinner?" he offered. "After the meeting? Just you and me."

Evangeline faced Tony squarely and gave him a close-lipped smile, her most gentle smile yet. "Yes," she said softly.

Tony smiled back. She watched him carefully as he leaned in, letting him decide where to take them and accepted his chaste kiss on her cheek. His lips lingered for a few moments and they breathed in the scent of each other's skin with a small, quick gasp.

When they pulled back Tony's smile was content and Ev felt her cheeks grow hot. She checked her watch as they stood. She couldn't help but notice how close Tony stood next to her. Ev could feel the warmth rising from the side of his body. She was overcome by a sudden urge to be enveloped in it, in _him_.

"Show time," she announced, shaking the thoughts away. "Do try not to upset _too_ many people." She opened the door and leaned back as she held it there.

Tony gave a wolfish grin. "No promises," he said cheerily.

Evangeline gave a chuckle with a shake of her head and shunted him out the door.

* * *

"You come here often," observed as the matire'd greeted Ev with a double kiss on her rosy cheeks and led them to a window side table that was warm and private.

Evangeline nodded, happy to be in a familiar place. She didn't even mind sharing it with Tony. She has actually glad that Tony was the one she was sharing it with.

"I used to live in Washington D.C.," she said with a smile.

Tony could just see the tension melt from her shoulders. Her hair was loose around her face and sat, cascading down and around her shoulders. Her smile was warm and she gave that glittering smile that made him want to melt a lot more often. If this was Ev relaxed then he would get her a personal chi master or something to make sure she was relaxed all the time.

"After Oxford?" Tony asked. It was hard to build a timeline on her life.

Evangeline nodded. "I moved to New York when SHIELD started calling on me every few months."

Tony saw her jaw tighten and immediately regretted where the conversation was going.

Their focus was broken by a waiter that handed them one menu. Were they supposed to share?

Evangeline looked to the left out the window and the waiter filled her glass halfway with a white wine.

"Patrick!" Ev grinned as soon as she saw the wine and gave the waiter a kiss.

Patrick (apparently) smiled back and gave Ev's hand a warm squeeze. Tony felt a twinge. Was he jealous?

"One through five," Patrick prompted.

Those two were practically glowing at each other.

Evangeline pursed her lips as she thought. "Three," she said with a nod.

Tony stared at her face. He had never seen her make that expression before. It made her look years younger than she was, like she was a bubbly kid again.

"Patrick?" Tony asked after the waiter took his dinner and wine order and swept himself away. He tried not to dwell on the fact that Patrick looked like he could pass as Thor's distant cousin with the blond hair, blue eyes, and Adonis jaw line.

Ev smiled, a laugh bubbling on her lips. "I have a system with the waiters here," she explained. "Patrick's signal is a white Sauvignon filled halfway. I have a specific reaction to it. He offers one through five because I only ever eat five things here, one for each of the different waiters I know. If I say that corresponds with the waiter, then I'm having a good day."

"That sounds ridiculously complicated," Tony raised an eyebrow.

Evangeline shrugged. "When I worked in D.C. it was mostly ambassador and diplomatic work. We live off signals and what lies in the unsaid."

Tony didn't say anything. He was feeling something equivalent to shock and he wasn't quite sure why. How many layers did this woman have? Probably as many as he did.

Ev turned and pointed in the direction of the maitre'd. "If Evan is on his shift and greets me with a double kiss on both cheeks then I know that my favorite table is available."

"And if it's not?" Tony asked, trying to figure her system out. "Or Evan's not on his shift?"

"If it's not then I get one kiss on one cheek. I have a backup table choice," she went on. "And there hasn't been a day that I came here where Evan wasn't at the front to greet me. The day that he isn't there is they day I'll know something's wrong."

Evangeline's face seemed to be permanently in a smile. _Wow_, Tony thought. _She must really like this place. Probably because there's nothing here to remind her of SHIELD. _

_Except you_, his mind reminded him. Tony made a mental note to keep the conversation pinned on her.

"So," Tony said as Patrick came back and filled his glass. He laid an appetizer out in front of them and left.

"Are you okay with waiting fifteen minutes?" Evangeline asked, her eyes were apologetic for interrupting him.

"Uh, what?" Tony asked, trying to catch up. Another signal.

"Garlic bread with spinach pesto and parmesan," she pointed to the appetizer. "It means fifteen minutes."

Tony snorted. "You have too many signals," he shook his head. "What if it's some random number? Like eight or thirty three?"

"Our appetizer signals go by fives," she answered. "Three pieces of garlic bread," her elegant and long finger pointed again. "Each stands for five. This appetizer goes with my dinner choice three."

"So you have five different choice appetizers," Tony said, piecing things together.

Ev nodded, her smile pleased. "It's not that hard, right?"

Tony gave her a look. "I don't know," he gave an amused tilt of his head. "Every time I think the signals are over you come up with a new one."

Evangeline laughed. "True," she conceded. "Sorry about that."

"No," Tony said. "It's fun to watch."

"What were you going to say?" she asked, redirecting them to before she had interrupted him.

"Oh," Tony thought for a moment. "I was going to ask what we were going to talk about this entire dinner."

Ev raised an eyebrow at him. "What, you didn't have a whole conversation planned out when you asked me to come?" she teased.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not I winged this one."

"Oh?" she gave him a fake surprised look.

"Don't look at me like that," Tony griped. "I'll start flinging garlic bread at you."

Evangeline scoffed, but smiled. "I'd dump wine down your shirt."

"Remind me not to start a food fight with you then," Tony nodded.

Ev laughed, her nose crinkled and Tony smiled at the sight. "Here," she offered. "We'll play my kind of game."

Tony groaned. "No more diplomatic nonsense!" he pleaded.

Evangeline smiled and shook her head. The mischievous glint in her eye made Tony want to scoot his chair back.

"No more, I promise," she assured him. "This is different. We each have ten questions to ask each other. The goal is to answer in three sentences or less. Your underlying goal is to be the one with the most enigmatic and intriguing answer. You can't prepare all of your questions before hand but have one minute to come up with a question after your partner has answered."

"Is this a test?" Tony asked, squinting at her and placing his elbows on the table as he point a finger at her.

"This," she said as she shook a napkin out and laid it on her lap. Two steaming meals were laid in front of them. Evangeline held her glass out to Patrick and he filled it to full. "Is how I determine if you're worthy of another dinner," she said as soon as Patrick left. "And if you win, you get a prize."

_Prize?_ Tony's eyebrow rose. "Was that another signal?" he asked, his finger pointing at her now full wine glass instead.

"If I ask for a full glass if means I don't want to be disturbed for the remainder of my meal," Evangeline explained. "The moment I drain my glass means I'm ready for the check. It also makes sure I don't drink more than one glass of wine."

"Good system," Tony toasted her with his wine glass and took a sip. "Mmm, and good wine."

Ev smiled. "Glad you like it," she studied her meal and cut into a piece of her chicken parmesan with linguini pasta and basil and lemon pesto sauce. "Are you ready to play my game?"

Tony gave his head a shake and place a napkin on his lab. He shook his suit jacket back from his wrists and picked up his knife and fork. "As ready as I'll ever be," he sighed. "Who goes first?"

Evangeline cocked her head, thinking. "You do," she decided and popped a piece of chicken in her mouth. She smiled as she chewed and Tony couldn't help feeling like he had walked into a snake pit.

* * *

By the time their plates were empty and Ev's wine glass had about three sips left in it they were chest deep in personal questions.

"Family?" Tony asked, using up his last question.

Evangeline wiped the corner of her mouth, void of its berry lipstick. "My parents are dead; I heard about my father's in the news and didn't attend the funeral. My brother made sure I could never contact him again. I haven't had a proper relationship since college."

Tony stared at her. His parents were dead. He was an only child. He hardly ever had people constantly in his life. Hers was about as sad as his. Was he up to the task of filling that void? Was she up to filling his?

Ev had laid down a rule that you couldn't comment on a person's answer, but had thirty seconds to absorb and thirty seconds to come up with or wait for your next question. Ev's gaze stayed locked with his so Tony took that as a sign that she was okay. He had noticed a while ago that if she didn't meet his eyes then something was wrong.

They had asked each other about work, school, relationships, pets, food, movies, music, technology, and now family.

"Relationship with any Avenger?" she asked, watching his reaction carefully.

_Oh the Captain,_ Tony couldn't help but think.

"The Captain and I didn't get off to a good start," Tony said, taking a sip of wine, his own glass was almost empty. It really was a good choice; he wished he had more. "He associates me with my father too much. I don't mind him as much as I used to since we get along now."

From the look in Evangeline's eyes he could tell she was focusing on him mentioning his father. It was the second time that day he had mentioned Howard Stark and both times Tony had felt slightly uncomfortable.

_"The legacy of Stark Industries?" she had asked him. _

_ "My parents died when I was twenty-one," Tony had told her. "My father was cold. I inherited everything and it went from there."_

"So," Tony asked as Ev's minute as up. It was her last question as well. "Who won?"

Evangeline drained her wine glass and Patrick handed her the bill a minute later. Did the guy have a camera trained on her or something? Tony blinked as Ev checked the bill and looked up at him.

"Are you paying or shall I?" she asked, the corner of her mouth was turned up. That was one test Tony could spot a mile away.

Tony snapped to attention. "I will of course," he took the bill from her hand and slipped his credit card inside it. "My dinner invitation after all."

She gave him a smile, but it was smaller when he compared it to the glow she had at the beginning of dinner. Their mood had significantly winded down as the night had waned on.

"You did," Evangeline said, her voice soft.

"What?" The word slipped out of Tony's mouth before he could catch it.

"You won," she clarified, giving him a tender smile.

"Really," Tony said. "What was my winning answer?"

"All of them," Ev said. She thanked Patrick as he brought back the check. The waiter gave her a kiss farewell and Evangeline began gathering her things.

Tony followed her out as she gave Evan a double kiss on both cheeks to say goodbye. _A good dinner? _Tony guessed by the signals. He caught her hand as they were greeted by a fresh slap of cool D.C. air. Tony pulled her closer, their sides touching. He spotted Happy waiting for him in the car. Tony turned to her.

"So when do I collect my prize?" he asked, looking into her eyes. There was something unreadable in them.

It had been too long since Tony had had a proper relationship with a woman. And he could think of no one better than Ev. What more did he have to do to reel her in?

"Because if you don't pay up then I'm going to have to take another IOU and you don't want those to pile up." He gave her a playful smile, trying to lighten her expression.

Evangeline's hand settled into his and she gave his hand a squeeze. Her smile was still soft. "Walk with me for a bit," she said.

Tony followed as she led them to the streets. He looked around as they walked, their breaths puffing out into the air in front of them. Tony blinked in surprise as she stopped at the beginning of a park. He hadn't realized the Washington Monument and it's reflecting pool were so close.

"Tony," Ev said softly, her fingers were gentle on his jaw. "Your prize," she whispered.

Tony turned his face to hers and found that the tip of their noses were touching. Evangeline's eyes were so close to his that he had trouble focusing on them. Her eyes were asking, searching as they shared a breath between them. She tilted her head into his and Tony's eyes slowly closed on instinct.

When their lips met Tony finally figured out what it was like to melt, and not in a bad way. She was warm and soft and sweet and delicious and hot damn she knew how to kiss. Tony pulled them closer together, settling one hand in her hair and the other around her waist, pushing their chest's together with a push of his hand at her back.

Evangeline gave a soft sigh as her hand gripped his shoulder and the other placed itself around his neck. Tony took a step forward instead of letting her do all the work and gently nuzzled his tongue into her mouth.

The kissing was a whole lot better when tongue was involved as far as Tony was concerned. He decided right then and there that he could spend hours tasting her mouth if it was always going to taste the way it did in that moment. He could taste the wine in her mouth and it made Tony's head feel like it was buzzing.

Tony didn't know how long it went on but when they parted he could tell that she was as dizzy as he was. They were gripping each other's bodies, both of her hands on his biceps and his entwined around her upper body.

"Some prize," he murmured as he caught his breath.

Evangeline smiled at him, the glow back in her face. She looked up at him and gave him another soft kiss. Immediately Tony wanted more. A soft laugh echoed in the space between them as she pulled back.

"Did I pass the test to earn a second dinner?" he quipped, linking their fingers and letting her lead him back the way they came.

"With flying colors," she assured him.

When they returned to the car where Happy sat waiting the engine was already running. Ev leaned against the car door facing Tony.

He absentmindedly played with her hair, sweeping it behind her ear with an affectionate smile. "You should come by Stark Tower some time," he said. "When we get back to New York."

Evangeline's smile didn't waver as she looked at him. Tony felt like those green eyes of hers were memorizing his face. He was kind of getting used to how probing they were and he wasn't so bothered by it anymore.

"I'm the Avengers' official diplomatic and public relations liaison," she reminded him. "Are you sure you want me around even more?"

"Oh definitely," Tony nodded, smiling.

"You enjoy this too much," she gave him a look, like she was chastising a child.

Tony responded by kissing her.

"Good night, Mr. Stark," she breathed against his lips and before Tony could say anything she was gone, disappearing down the street.

* * *

Author's Note: About Today by The National (Look, not Franz Ferdinand!)

"Today you were far away  
and I didn't ask you why  
What could I say  
I was far away  
You just walked away  
and I just watched you  
What could I say

How close am I to losing you?"


	6. This Boy

"Sir," JARVIS' voice cut through the AC/DC that was blasting as the AI system muted the music.

"JARVIS," Tony warned. "Music."

"I apologize, sir," JARVIS dry tone replied. "Miss Potts has sent over the plans for an energy prototype that is apparently necessary for the next Stark Tower. She specifically suggested for you to get a second opinion on it."

Tony pushed Dummy out of the way of his hand as he leaned back in his chair. Oh Pepper was really pushing it. But this time he didn't mind.

"Thanks JARVIS," Tony smiled. "Put up the plans. I know just who to call."

* * *

Evangeline parked her red Ducati in Stark Tower's lower parking garage as Tony had advised and turned the engine off. She tugged her black helmet off, her curls falling out around her shoulders.

Tony had called fifteen minutes ago, asking her to come over to help with some plans for an energy prototype addition to the next Stark Tower.

_"How far away are you?" he had asked. _

_ "My apartment on 5th," she had replied, grabbing her keys and putting an arm through her leather jacket. _

_ "Excellent," Tony had replied. "I'll see you in fifteen."_

_ "Not everyone drives like a maniac, Tony," she had reminded him with a smile. _

_ "Traffic's fine," Tony had said, blasé. "I expect you in no later than half an hour."_

_ "Of course, Mr. Stark," Ev had replied, mock serious. _

_ She had felt the eye roll on the other end. "You're going to have to pay for continually calling me that when you always insist I use your first name," Tony had said. _

_ "Well I wonder if your idea of payment is as good as my idea of a prize," Evangeline had said, smirking on her end. _

_ Tony had been silent for half a minute before his voice came through, quick and clear. "You have fifteen minutes," he had said and then ended the call. _

Ev checked her watch: five minutes late. Ah well. She approached the elevator, pressed the button, and stepped in.

"JARVIS?" she prompted.

"At your service, Dr. Miller," the AI system replied immediately.

"Tony's lab, please," Evangeline said. She looked at the array of buttons, not sure which to choose.

"Of course," JARVIS said and the elevator whisked her off. "Master Stark is expecting you."

"I'll bet he is," Ev grinned.

* * *

"What exactly is it that you need?" Evangeline asked, letting the door to Tony's lab swing closed after she walked in, helmet under one arm and her leather jacket in the other. She smiled warmly at Tony as he finished scrapping, reassembling, and then analyzing holographic specs. Ev placed her helmet and jacket on a free space on one of the tables around her and waited for Tony to turn. She crossed her arms over her loose and lacy blouse which was tucked into her dark wash jeans.

He turned to her with a smile, his chair swivelling. "You're late," he pointed a finger at her and she walked closer.

Ev's black boots tapped on the lab floor as she greeted Tony with a kiss. He tugged her into his lap, swivelling them to face the image suspended in the air as Evangeline laced her arms around Tony's waist and shoulder. She wasn't really sure if that boundary they had crossed a few weeks ago meant that what they were doing was all right, but she wasn't about to object.

"Hmm," she murmured. "It looks pretty standard," she narrowed her eyes, spinning the tentative model with a flick of her wrist. "I didn't think you'd have a problem with this." She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

Tony gave her a look that she judged to be one of innocence. "Pepper recommended that I get a second opinion," he said, tightening his hold around her waist.

"Really?" Evangeline said, raising her eyebrow back at him. "Well I can't give much of an opinion," she said, looking back at the image. "It's a bit needless for what Stark Tower is already going to be equipped with, but a good idea if you want to save it for another project." She looked back at him. "I don't suppose you need me for anything else, do you?"

"Well," Tony said slowly, meeting her eyes. "I could think of a few things." He gave a shrug.

"Oh?" Ev smirked. "And what would those things would be?"

Tony chuckled. "I'll be collecting that payment I mentioned earlier," he murmured as his eyes raked her face. He wanted nothing more than to kiss until some unfair universal power told him to stop.

"So what must I pay?" Evangeline asked. "Do you take cash?"

Tony shook his head. "I prefer a bit of an exchange," he said. "How about kisses instead of cash?"

The corner of Ev's mouth rose. "That's fine," she said, leaning closer to Tony's face as he smiled at her. "I don't have much cash on me anyway."

* * *

The two of them ended up on one of Tony's work tables. It had been perfectly civil when they were in Tony's chair, all work forgotten. JARVIS had turned AC/DC back up and Tony thought it was absolutely perfect to taste Ev at his leisure to some of his favorite music. And he was doing okay; Tony Stark was totally in control of his emotions and his sex drive (which hadn't been awakened in months), that is until Evangeline decided it would be a wonderful idea to shift over and straddle him in his chair, put her hands up his shirt and her tongue in his mouth.

"Oh god," Tony mumbled as Ev's soft lips ravaged his jaw line. "You are going to be the death of me, you know that?"

She pulled back, smiling as she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Oh, I know," she grinned. "But in retrospect, it's not a bad way to go."

Tony raised an eyebrow at her. "I could think of a few improvements," he offered, gripping Ev's waist and she tightened the legs that were wrapped around his own waist. He shifted their weight, standing and then leaning them against a table. He swept a few things away with a free hand and Evangeline helped by shoving her motorcycle helmet and jacket to the edge of the table. She wrapped her legs back around Tony's hips, pulling him closer and placing her arms around his shoulders.

"Demanding," Tony remarked, the corner of his mouth rose in a smirk.

Evangeline smiled back. "Then you'd better keep up," she whispered, bringing his lips to hers again, picking up where they had left off.

Tony thanked whatever god was listening, even if it was Thor, that had granted him another chance to taste her mouth. Ev tasted of mint and apples and was still as sweet, soft, and fiery as he remembered. It had been a week before the Avengers were back in Manhattan after their meeting with the president. And after that Tony waited a week in ever growing agony for Evangeline to return from Washington D.C. Two weeks was long enough.

"Mmm," Ev sighed into his mouth, her fingers in his hair and her other hand running itself along his lower back.

Something roared with pleasure inside Tony and he really wished he could have her hands everywhere on him. The temperature in the room was rising, and Tony knew it wasn't JARVIS' fault. His hands wandered from her brown curls, caressing her neck and finding her collarbone. Tony kissed her neck then, her skin tasting like lavender and vanilla as she tilted her head back and moaned, soft and low. Tony's fingers played along her neck, unbuttoning the first two buttons of her lacy blouse to reveal an equally lacy cream and black bra.

Ev's fingers were firm, but gentle on his chin as she brought his eyes to hers. She leaned forward and told him sternly: "Eyes on the prize, Stark."

Tony grinned and stole a kiss from her lips. "My eyes _are_ on the prize."

She rolled her eyes. "Get over here," she murmured, bringing his lips to hers again.

They started slow that time, languid and teasing. Evangeline's mouth was heaven on his neck and chest. She got a lot farther in her unbuttoning, going as far as revealing the top of the arc reactor, the glow permeating the minimal space between them.

Tony didn't know or care how much time passed, but apparently you couldn't have everything, even if you were Tony Stark. Turns out the unfair universal power of the day was one Steve Rogers.

"Sir," JARVIS interrupted and Ev's lips stilled on his. She leaned back, looking at him in surprise. Her lips were red instead of the pink lipstick she had showed up with and her hair pleasantly tousled. No doubt Tony's head looked something of the same.

"Captain Rogers is coming down the stairs," JARVIS informed him.

"Well," Evangeline said, unwinding herself from Tony's body and nudging him back so she could step off the table. "That's my cue."

"To what?" Tony asked, frowning and buttoning up two buttons to cover the arc reactor fully. "Leave?" he pouted at her.

Ev smiled at him, stepping closer to give him a kiss. "No, silly," she said, righting some of the things they had knocked over in their endeavors. "I just think it would be best if we didn't startle the good captain too much."

Tony rolled his eyes, tugging her to him to press their chests together. "He can deal," he assured.

Evangeline laughed, accepted a kiss on her cheek that Tony had meant for her smiling lips and whacked him gently on the arm. "Behave," she scolded. "I don't want my introduction to be the sight of you and I laid out on your work table."

"Oh is that the direction we were going?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I doubt we would have stayed there," she teased back.

Something inside Tony sorely lamented Steve's presence as the captain walked into the lab, speaking as soon as he crossed the door.

"Tony we have pizza upstairs," Steve informed him, looking around the lab. The captain always looked, even though he had been down to Tony's lab a grand total of three times. "Natasha and Bruce said I should invite you up in case you're- oh."

Evangeline smiled kindly at Steve, leaning back on Tony's work table. Tony glanced at her, glad that she had rearranged her blouse. Steve probably would've blushed crimson if his gaze had wandered in the wrong direction.

"Hello, ma'am," Steve said politely.

Ev stuck her hand out for a shake and the captain met it without hesitation. "It's nice to meet you, Captain," she smiled. "I'm Evangeline."

"Please," he said. "Call me Steve."

"Yep," Tony clapped his hands together. "Steve - Ev. Ev - Captain Steve Rogers." Tony gave a salute. "What's this about pizza?"

Steve tried not to look at Tony with exasperation and Evangeline was busy trying not to laugh at the captain's face. The supersoldier turned to her. "Would you like to join us for pizza?" he asked, ever the gentleman.

Ev glanced at Tony before nodding. "That sounds lovely," she said. She was a lot better at sounding sincere than Tony was.

The two of them followed the captain up the steps and into the elevator to the main floor of Stark Tower where the Avengers were gathered around the TV, watching and eating some of New York's finest pizza.

"Help yourself," Steve said with a kind smile. "I can't say much for the television situation though." He gave Ev an apologetic look as Natasha and Clint fought for a channel and walked off to join them.

Evangeline watched the four Avengers sitting on Tony's leather couches and smiled. "It's like being in a college apartment," she remarked, grabbing a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Tony bit into a slice of cheese. "But a lot more interesting," he assured her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a close squeeze and kiss on the top of her head before joining his fellow team mates, tugging Ev along by the hand.

He let her hand go as they approached and they took a seat on an empty couch.

"Nice of you to join us, Tony," Clint quipped, flipping to Food Network before Natasha snatched the remote when he was busy looking at Tony and Ev and changing it to NCIS.

Clint nodded at Evangeline, recognizing her from many SHIELD meetings. "I see you brought a friend," he smiled at Tony with a knowing glint in his eye.

Tony had the sudden urge to chuck a slice of pizza at the hawk's head.

"Hi, Ev," Natasha said in Russian. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Tony needed help with something," Evangeline responded in equally flawless Russian. "Good to see you again, Nat. Keep it on NCIS, will you?"

The spy/assassin grinned from her seat on the couch next to Clint and kept a tight hand on the remote after that.

Evangeline turned her attention to Bruce, ignoring the minor shock she could feel coming off Tony after she finished speaking in Russian. Tony knew Ev could speak multiple languages, he just didn't expect to hear some of them so soon. And it was a little weird that hearing the Russian pour from her mouth since all those smooth and hard tones turned him on a little bit.

"Dr. Banner," she smiled. "It's great to see you again."

"Please," Bruce said, sitting a bit in the corner with a glass of water, having finished his pizza. "You can call me Bruce now."

Ev nodded. "Fan of NCIS, Bruce?"

The scientist shrugged. "I'm not one for TV much," he said. "If you'll excuse me," he said, rising from his chair.

Evangeline looked at Tony and the genius shrugged. "Sometimes I really can't read Bruce," he said quietly. "He likes spending time in his lab, though."

When the pizza started dwindling and Natasha tossed Clint the remote to clean her knives the number of people sitting in the living room slowly lessened.

In the end it was Steve, Ev, and Tony sitting and having an amicable, if not slightly awkward conversation. Mostly, Evangeline and Steve talked while Tony occasionally jumped in. He spread his arms on the back of the couch and while Ev didn't lean into his side like he wished she would, her hair occasionally swept across his shoulder.

"I think I'm going to go draw the skyline," Steve said, glancing out the window where the afternoon sun glowed. The captain had revealed many things in the weeks that the Avengers had settled into Stark Tower. Like he ate buckets of food to fuel his metabolism, which demanded more food after a workout. And that he liked to draw.

Tony and Evangeline watched him leave. It was then that she sighed into Tony's side, putting her head on his shoulder.

"Now what?" she asked quietly.

"Want to take apart a perfectly good engine and then put it back together?" Tony offered. He didn't really have anything he specifically had to do. He could think of a few specific things he wanted to do with her quite easily though.

"Sure," Ev said, rising to her feet. She tugged on Tony's hand and smiled at him. "Why not?"

* * *

"JARVIS," Evangeline requested when they had gone through five AC/DC songs and were in the middle of putting the heart of the engine together. They took turns attaching, screwing, and calibrating the different sections and parts. "I don't suppose you can somehow import the Franz Ferdinand playlist on the phone in my back pocket?"

"That is entirely possible," JARVIS informed her. "One moment."

Thirty seconds later and 'This Boy' by Franz Ferdinand was blasting throughout the lab.

"I can't believe you just asked my AI system to change my workshop soundtrack," Tony said, wagging a wrench at her with a half-frown.

Evangeline grinned at him. "You need to shake things up," she said, tightening a few pistons.

Tony handed her a smaller wrench and she immediately took it to screw a valve shut. "Be gentle," Tony joked. "That's one of my hearts you're working with."

Ev looked up at him, making the final twist. "I promise not to wrench it too hard," she smiled, her eyes probing his. There was just no fooling her with the words that lay under his jokes and quips.

Fifteen minutes after an hour had passed and they were done.

"That was satisfying," Evangeline commented, wiping her hands on a cloth Tony had handed her. He thought she looked adorable with the smear of grease on the corner of her nose. He had put it there, of course.

"When was the last time you put something together with your hands?" Tony asked, wiping his own hands.

Ev shrugged. "Ages, I guess."

"How about for yourself," Tony went on.

Her brow furrowed. "You know I don't think I've ever done a project for myself," she said, frowning. Tony stepped forward to try and wipe the grease from her nose. She wrinkled it when he wiped at the grease. "I always feel like I hate following orders and yet here I am, following orders for most of my life."

"You haven't followed orders in the last couple hours," Tony pointed out, smiling at her as he kissed her now clean nose.

Evangeline gave him a grudging smile. "Good point," she conceded. She gave him a kiss in return. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_," Tony corrected.

She checked her watch. "I should be going," Evangeline said, sliding her arms into her jacket.

Tony gave her a pout. "Why?" he asked.

Ev smiled at him. "Because I simply can't stay."

"Even if I begged?" he offered. Although he couldn't really imagine him begging.

Evangeline knew that, apparently. "You'd never beg," she gave him a look, grabbing her helmet.

Tony noticed it for the first time. "You came here on a motorcycle?" he asked.

Ev glanced down at the helmet in her hand and looked up at him. "Yeah," she said. "I don't really like cars. When I get around by myself it's usually on my motorcycle."

Tony studied her. "Ducati," he decided. "Red or black?"

Evangeline grinned at him. "Red," she smiled.

Tony smiled back. "Thought so," he pulled her in for a goodbye kiss. "I'll call you back here," he warned her.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't," she said, pulling his lab door open. "Bye, Tony."

Tony raised his hand and smiled. "Bye, Ev.

* * *

Author's Note: This Boy by Franz Ferdinand (Yeah, I know. Back to Franz Ferdinand. Sorry about that.)

"It seems this boy bathed in ridicule  
Too forward, way too physical  
It's time that I had another  
I'm always wanting more, if there's another one  
Give me some more, I'll have another one  
I'll have a slice of your mother

This boy's so spectacular  
Not a boy, but a wealthy bachelor."


	7. Darts of Pleasure

In the week after Tony had called Evangeline to Stark Tower they had gone out to lunch three times and had plenty of fun figuring out how to comfortably make out in several of Tony's sports cars. It was a fine Saturday morning when Evangeline showed up in Tony's lab in a floral romper and sandals.

"If you're planning on working in that," Tony said when he saw her, refraining from swallowing her in a kiss because Bruce was there. "I'm thinking you should change."

Ev smiled at him, waving a hello at Bruce. "JARVIS told me that you stopped working on anything ages ago and that you were tinkering," she said.

"Traitor," Tony muttered, glaring at the ceiling.

"I regret to inform you that I am not sorry, sir," JARVIS said.

Bruce chuckled in the background.

"So what exactly are you planning to do in that, then?" Tony asked. "Bit frilly for hard work."

"Which is why," Evangeline announced. "We aren't going to do any hard work."

"We?" Bruce asked, looking at the two of them.

Ev nodded, a proud smile on her face. "We're going to Coney Island. On me. It'll be fun."

"I'm not a big fan of park rides," Bruce said, making a face. "The teacups make me queasy. And the other guy sincerely agrees."

Tony smiled at Ev and took a step closer to her. "That sounds like a great idea," he said. "JARVIS, alert everyone else. Suit up in normal clothes. The Avengers are going to take a day off."

* * *

Natasha and Clint went with each other. Thor, whom Ev didn't know was visiting, flew there and gave part of Manhattan an impromptu thunderstorm. Steve took Bruce on his motorcycle. And Tony drove Ev there in one of his many Audis.

It was much better alone in the car with just rock music and minimal space between them. All seven of them arrived at Coney Island around the same time, found parking and trooped into the park. It was sunset when they got there and Ev bought everyone a round of cotton candy and pizza.

Thor, who hadn't been introduced to all of the wonders of Midgardian food, thought cotton candy was ridiculous. "What is this fluffy Midgardian concoction?" he demanded.

Clint tried to explain that it was just sugar spun on high heat and encouraged Thor to eat some, but after Thor took a taste he proclaimed it too sweet and that he preferred PopTarts. He asked if there was coffee around somewhere. Tony bought him a cup to keep him from going into Asgardian feast mode, which ended up in a lot of shouting, drinking, and smashing things.

They played some of the booth games and Thor, Natasha and Clint racked up a whole cart full of stuffed animals. They had so many that they had to give some away to passing kids. Natasha kept a giant bear Clint had won for her and Thor insisted that his small stuffed puppy was an adequate keepsake and he especially wanted to show it to Jane.

Bruce won a shooting game, much to Clint's surprise, and won a cowboy hat. He was quiet, but pleased, and plopped the hat on Steve's head which sat there at a jaunty angle.

Tony had snorted with laughter when the hat tilted over Steve's eyes, but the captain didn't seem to mind. Evangeline convinced them all to take a few rides but after one try on the spinning teacup ride Thor was ready to smash the ride with his beloved Mjolnir. He proclaimed throughout the entire evening that the spinning sensation was worse than travelling along the bifrost to Earth on a full stomach.

When the sun was dipping into the sky and the stars began coming out Ev dragged them all to Luna Park for some rollercoaster rides. Bruce stayed away from those and Steve rode two while Natasha, Clint, and Thor went nuts over most of them. Tony rode a few of them with Evangeline but both of them soon joined Steve and Bruce to see the stars come out. When all of them had had their thrill fill they made their way to the boardwalk and listened to the waves and screams of people having fun.

"This was nice," Clint said.

"Thank you for convincing us," Steve smiled. The captain was happy to be back in his familiar neighborhood of Brooklyn.

"Indeed," Thor boomed. Ev soon learned the god of thunder only had one volume: loud. "It was a marvelous time! My friends, the warriors three and Lady Sif, would thoroughly enjoy this... what do you call it? Park of amusement!"

Tony stifled laughter into his shoulder as Evangeline smiled, agreed, and thanked Thor for his ah, gracious comment.

"We should be getting back," Bruce said after the sky darkened and the moon shone brightly.

"I'll take you," Steve said, also ready to leave.

"I think I will see my Jane," Thor announced. "Farewell friends!" And he shot into the sky.

Natasha, Clint, Tony, and Evangeline sat for a while longer before the two master assassins cast Tony and Ev a knowing glance and slunk off into the night.

"They know, don't they," Ev said, resting her head on Tony's chest as they sat back.

Tony looked at her and smiled. "Is it a bad thing?" he asked.

Evangeline shrugged. "I don't think so," she said.

"Good," Tony mumbled, kissing the top of her head. He didn't like talking about his feelings. It wasn't his forte. It was a bit reassuring that Ev could think for herself and judge where they stood.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, nuzzling her nose into his neck. The tip of it was cold and made goosebumps rise on Tony's neck as her soft breath puffed against his chest.

"Where to?" Tony asked as they rose and walked back the way they had came, hands intertwined. "Do you want to stay the night at Stark Tower?" he offered.

Evangeline looked up at him with a gentle smile. "No," she shook her head. "Can you drop me off at home?"

Tony was a bit disappointed, but he only squeezed her hand tighter in response. "Sure."

* * *

"You planned this, didn't you," Tony said, the words lost in Ev's hair as he kissed the life out of her when she pressed him up against her apartment building door.

She smiled and shook her head. "I _was_ going to invite you in," Evangeline whispered. "But that was only because I figured you'd ask for a night cap."

"Ah," Tony said against her lips. "Well can I take you up on that night cap then?"

"Of course," Ev said softly, taking Tony's hand and opening her door. Her building had an elevator and Tony wasted no time reconnecting their lips once the doors dinged closed.

She unlocked her door for him, flicked on the living room light and led him inside. Tony looked around. It was modern and eclectic with touches of classic and antique. It was the kind of place Pepper would love. She had a lot of space in her apartment, enough for a grand piano to sit in the corner of living room. The floor plan opened up to a dining hall and around the corner Tony could see the beginnings of a kitchen.

Evangeline walked towards what Tony could definitely recognize as a liquor cabinet. "What would you like?" she asked, bottles clinking as she sifted through them.

"Got any scotch?" Tony asked, plopping himself down on her couch.

Ev grabbed to glasses, filled them with a few cubes of ice, and poured some scotch out of a decanter.

"Fancy," Tony remarked. "I didn't take you for a person who drank."

"Oh, never underestimate a woman, Stark," Evangeline warned, taking a sip of her scotch as Tony took a gulp. "I'm sure I can get as equally drunk as you."

"I don't see why you'd want to," Tony quipped, taking another mouthful of Ev's impressively good liquor.

Evangeline drank half of her glass before setting it on her glass coffee table, and on a coaster no less. She leaned against Tony's side and let out a quiet sigh.

"It's tiring, isn't it?" he remarked. "Having so much fun."

He felt her shrug. "The night's not over yet," she murmured, turning her face to his.

Tony's eyes met hers and he found that they were open, asking and inviting. The night started taking the direction he wanted. The resting sex drive in Tony started it's engine with a low growl. Evangeline tilted her face to his and Tony set his scotch aside as she laid herself out for him and he wrapped a hand around her lower back as he climbed on top of her.

He kissed her, sweet and slow, unbuttoning the top of her romper and when he was met with lace she didn't stop him. Ev's fingers were cold and nimble as they played near his shirt hem, teasing his stomach and back as well as his waistband.

Tony gave a quiet groan, pressing them closer together. Her breath was a soft pant in his ear.

"Bed," he whispered.

They sat up together and Evangeline tugged her hair free from its bun, letting her hair fall as she led him down a hallway. Her bedroom door was open, a spacious room with huge windows and an airy feel. Tony tugged her to his chest as she pulled his shirt over his head and the glow of the arc reactor lit up her face.

Ev looked up at him, the corners of her mouth turned up. She ran her hands, small and slender, down his torso and kissed him deeply.

Tony's hands traced her shoulders slowly, and the straps of her romper fell away, the fabric pooling where it cinched around her waist. His hands and eyes wanted to take their time, but the rising feeling in his gut wanted to be set free. He gently kissed her neck and chest, his lips following his hands as he finally pushed the romper away as Evangeline unbuttoned his jeans.

He lifted her to his hips and she wrapped herself around him as her feet pushed his jeans down. Her hands grabbed his face, giving him passionate kisses that gave him little bursts and tastes of her mouth. Tony backed up, his hands at her back and in her hair as the moans between them grew more frequent.

They fell onto her bed together, a large and fluffy king bed Tony realized, with a soft gasp between them.

"Tony," Evangeline whispered, the lust apparent in her eyes as their faces glowed in the blue of Tony's chest piece. "Please," she said, her breath a soft tickle as she shivered under his touch.

Tony never had so much fun obliging such an sincere request.

* * *

When Tony finally stirred awake he was confused as to why JARVIS hadn't woken him and why the room was decidedly not his own. Then his eyes widened as he remembered. He leaned back into Evangeline's bed with a grin. Tony looked to his side and found her side rumpled but empty.

Tony looked around the room and found it even nicer in daylight. The walls were a pleasant shade of cream with tasteful art decorating the walls and wooden furniture accents. It was warm but light and suited Evangeline's taste, Tony could tell. He saw the clothes they had been wearing last night strewn all over the floor and cracked another smile.

"Ev?" he called out, unused to being the one searching for his sleeping partner. Tony stumbled out of bed and jumped into a pair of his boxers. He winced as his lower body gave a throbbing ache and the corner of his mouth rose up. Oh last night had been _amazing_, even if Tony remembered it as one pleasure-filled blur.

Tony wandered down the hallway, peeking into the doors that were open. He found a home dance studio, computer room, library, and guest room before the hallway opened up to the living room once more. Their glasses of scotch were cleared from the table and Tony could hear something sizzling in the kitchen.

He found Evangeline making waffles, bacon and coffee in a robe with her hair in a messy bun at the back of her head. Tony walked up behind her, lacing his arms around her waist as she put fresh coffee grounds into her coffee maker. She stiffened as a reflex and then relaxed, leaning her head back into the crook in his shoulder.

"Good morning," Tony said softly, kissing her neck.

"Mmm," Ev sighed, her free hand reaching up to run itself through Tony's hair. "Good morning indeed."

She turned and greeted him with a kiss. Her skin smelled of him and waffle batter. Tony studied her as she stood there, so close to his own skin that his body tingled in response to her gentle touch. He smiled at her, an easy one that came naturally to his face.

"You know I've never really done this before," he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead and snatching a piece of bacon as he walked to the opposite kitchen counter that sat like an granite island where two plates of waffles and bacon were waiting.

"Had breakfast?" Ev quipped, leaning back on the opposite counter and watching him as he popped the bacon into his mouth.

Tony shook his head, chewing. "Woken up to someone making me breakfast," he said. "Not since I was a kid."

Evangeline looked at him, her eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch as she crossed her arms over her chest. She gave him a smile, seeing in his eyes that she shouldn't press the subject.

"Well today's your lucky day, then."

"It's been my lucky day for weeks," Tony smiled, reaching for her and pulling her to him from across the kitchen. He settled her into his side, wrapping an arm around her waist. Ev let out a soft chuckle, tearing a piece of waffle off the one on her plate and taking a bite of it.

"Then I hope your luck doesn't run out," she said quietly, finishing her bite of waffle. The coffee maker beeped then and Ev unwound herself from Tony. "Come on," she nudged him. "Breakfast."

"Let's do it," Tony said abruptly. It had hit him the moment Ev had stood there, pouring coffee into two mugs, looking so natural in her own kitchen making food for two people. It shocked him when it dawned on him that the second person was him, and that he always wanted to be that second person. Tony Stark wanted to be the one Evangeline Miller woke up to in the morning and decided to make coffee for.

"What?" Evangeline asked, turning and handing him a cup of black coffee. "Have breakfast? That's what I just said."

"No," Tony said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He all of a sudden felt like fleeing. The feelings were coming up. "Date. Be a couple. Have sex repeatedly and shamelessly." He shrugged. "Whatever you want to call it."

Ev gave him a gentle smile. "I was under the impression we already were," she cocked her head.

Tony shifted his weight from foot to foot. He felt a bit naked in that moment, and not just because he was wearing less clothing than her. Evangeline sipped her coffee after adding a drop of milk.

"Tony," Evangeline said gently, recognizing the panic in his eyes. "What do you want? Just tell me what you want."

Tony set his coffee aside and gathered her in his arms, wary of the hot coffee in her hands. "You," he whispered, staring at her with such intensity that she looked up at him, surprised. "I just want you."

Evangeline smiled at him, soft and understanding. "You can have that," she promised. "You _already_ have me."

Tony stared at her for a moment before smiling. "I do?" The question escaped his lips on instinct. He wasn't used to this. Pepper had been his personal assistant for years before he got anywhere with her. He had only known Evangeline for a few months.

Ev nodded, gently loosening his hold so she could sip her coffee.

"Since when?" Tony asked, trying to catch up. He was rarely in check of his feelings. He didn't like them very much.

"Oh for quite a while, Mr. Stark," Ev reassured him. "It's all right."

Tony raised an eyebrow, glad that the hard part was relatively over. "I thought I told you not to call me that. Now you owe me all over again."

"That's what breakfast is for," she grinned at him, slowly stepping away to set her coffee on the countertop of the island that separated her kitchen from the living and dining area.

"I thought I got to decide payment," Tony said, complaint in his voice.

Evangeline hopped on top of the island and bit off a piece of bacon. She looked like a child, smiling at him and swinging her feet as she sat on her perch. Tony made sure his eyes didn't wander as he realized that she had absolutely nothing underneath that robe. He didn't want to be distracted when the breakfast she'd made smelled so good. But damn, the fact that her body was only covered by a thin piece of cloth that had one measly sash was enough to send Tony's blood roaring.

"You do," she conceded, swallowing. "But you still need to eat breakfast."

Tony gave a half eye roll and jumped up onto the counter next to his plate. "You have a perfectly good dining table, you know."

Ev wrinkled her nose, sipping her coffee. "Too formal," she said, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. "You're not even wearing a shirt."

Tony looked down at his bare chest where the arc reactor shone dimly, the morning light overtaking its glow in the room. "And you're not wearing anything under that," he pointed out, stuffing a quarter of a waffle into his mouth and washing it down with coffee.

Evangeline smiled at him as she sipped from her own cup. "So what exactly does 'date' mean to the famous Tony Stark?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as she studied him.

Tony swallowed. "It means that you don't have to stop kissing me just because Captain America walks in," he pointed out and Ev laughed. "And just because Bruce is in the lab doesn't mean I have to get deprived of a proper greeting."

She was still chuckling when he stopped to eat some more bacon. "Is there anything else I should know about?" she prompted.

"Mm," Tony said, straightening. He pointed a finger at her. "You're required to spend the night at Stark Tower at _least_ twice a week."

"At least?" Evangeline repeated. "And if I can't?"

"Then we'll have to arrange something to make up for that," Tony said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ev smiled at him. "I can agree to that," she said, giving him a nod as she drained her cup of coffee and finished off her plate.

Tony stuffed the last piece of his waffle in his mouth, having finished his bacon. More coffee followed. Ev pulled her legs up to cross them, carefully draping her robe around her legs. She put her elbow on her knee and rested her chin in her hand as she looked at Tony.

"Anything else?" she asked with a playful tilt of her head.

"I'll think of more things later," Tony assured her with a smile.

Evangeline laughed and shook her head at him. She hopped off the island and put their dishes in the sink. "I think it's time you started getting ready to go back to Stark Tower," she said, wiping her hands as she looked at him.

Tony felt like a little boy again, sitting on a counter and eating breakfast while Ev stood there with her hands on her hips.

"Kicking me out already?" Tony asked, giving a mock hurt expression and slid off her counter. He walked up to her, placing his hands on her hips.

"Making you take a shower," Evangeline corrected, placing her hands on his bare chest. "I'm expecting a call from SHIELD," she said and Tony groaned. "It's for the Avengers' next press release. Apparently the world wants to know how you're doing."

"The world is nosy," Tony remarked, walking back to Ev's bedroom, swinging their hands as she followed him. "Can't I just hole up in your bedroom and not be Tony Stark for a day? Or you could try not to be so busy and important?"

"No," Evangeline said, shaking her head as Tony pouted until she laughed. She tossed his shirt at him. "Either shower or get dressed. It's ten o'clock on a Sunday morning."

"Perfect excuse to get back into bed," Tony insisted, tugging on her hand as he tilted his head in the direction of her bed.

Ev looked at the bed and then at him.

"No?" Tony guessed, letting her hand go.

She smiled at him and gave him a kiss. "Precisely," she grinned and traipsed off to her own bathroom.

Tony watched her go, his eyes lighting up as he saw her drop her robe to the ground as soon as she rounded the corner.

"Shower," he decided, tossing his shirt back onto the floor and following Ev into the bathroom.

* * *

"I'll drop by Stark Tower after my SHIELD meeting, okay?" she said as she locked her apartment door, bag in hand and jacket on.

Tony tossed her helmet to her and she caught it as they walked into the elevator. "I'll be waiting," he answered.

"Do something productive," she suggested. Evangeline didn't want him to physically just wait around for her to drop by.

"There's nothing productive about a Sunday," Tony quipped.

"Then _make_ it productive," Ev advised and Tony rolled his eyes. She just laughed and linked her arm in his as they walked out of her building. "I'll see you later," she said, giving him a kiss goodbye.

Tony pulled her closer, deepening their kiss. The shower had been heaven since her skin and kisses were even better combined with water. It had been fun, even if they didn't end up doing what Tony really wished they had (aka screwing each other senseless on the shower floor as well as her bed - he only got to check one off his list).

"Later," Evangeline reminded him a laugh.

Tony held her fingers for a moment before letting go. She tucked her hair into a bun and popped her helmet on, climbing onto her motorcycle. Tony stood by his Audi which he had parked curbside. He walked over to her as she put her keys in the ignition, flicked her helmet visor up and kissed her on the nose.

"Sooner rather than later," he amended and watched her drive off.

* * *

"And here I thought you all were incapable of making food," Tony said as he greeted his fellow Avengers, sans Thor, when he found them in his kitchen.

"Natasha was the only person with enough patience to learn. And JARVIS helped," Steve said as he bit into a sandwich. "You have too much technology."

Tony snorted as he took a cookie from the plate in the middle of his kitchen table.

"You have to admit your 'upgraded' coffee maker looks like it could wake up and attack the whole tower," Bruce pointed out, munching on a cookie.

"We missed you last night," Clint said, grinning at Tony.

The billionaire rolled his eyes. "Well I didn't miss you," he told the marksman.

"How's Ev?" Natasha asked, her grin matching Clint's. Even Bruce looked amused. "You look a bit sore."

Tony flicked the crumbs on his fingers at the two assassins as he glared at them. "She's fine," Tony answered. "And I'm fine. Enjoy your lunch." And he escaped to his lab as he heard Clint's deep chuckle behind him.

"What did I miss?" Steve asked. He looked at Clint, Bruce and Natasha and his blue eyes narrowed and then widened. "Fondue?"

"Yes, Steve," Bruce answered, laughter in his voice. "Fondue."

* * *

Evangeline finally made her way to Stark Tower two days later. She had called Tony after she realized her SHIELD meeting would not take a few hours, but a few days when as soon as she finished with Director Fury she got a call from the U.S. President's secretary.

_"What happened to not taking orders?" Tony had asked, lowering the volume of his AC/DC as he worked to refine the Mach VII. _

_ Ev had sighed in response. "Don't remind me about that now, Tony," she said quietly. Her eyes were tired and she wanted nothing more than to curl into his side. When she thought of Tony as her boyfriend a smile crept onto her face. "You don't blow off the leader of a nation just because you want to go home and crawl into bed with Tony Stark."_

_ "Is that what we're doing when you get back?" Tony had asked. "Because if we are then I'm one hundred percent behind ignoring the President of the United States."_

_ Evangeline had laughed and made a noise of exasperation. "You're impossible," she had smiled. "I'll call you again when I'm back in New York."_

The business with the President hadn't taken too long. It was just a follow up briefing on the cabinet meeting the Avengers' had had almost a month ago. Evangeline had taken the first SHIELD jet she could get up to Manhattan and didn't even stop to change out of her business clothes as she took a cab to Stark Tower.

She made her way up, having already called Tony, and click-clacked into his lab to the sound of Franz Ferdinand. She smiled, albeit a little tiredly, at the sight of Tony working.

"JARVIS?" she asked as she walked towards Tony. "What happened to the AC/DC?"

"Master Stark has taken a liking to your playlist," JARVIS remarked. If Ev didn't know any better she would say that JARVIS sounded amused.

"Ah," Evangeline nodded. "Thanks." She came up behind him, not wanting to touch him since he was hard at work with the repulsor on one of his Iron Man suit hands. "Tony," she said gently, resting her fingers on the back of his head and running them through his hair.

"Mmm," Tony mumbled, continuing his soldering. "Two seconds."

Ev waited patiently, propping her glasses up on her head to rub her eyes.

"Hey," Tony said. She could hear the smile in his voice. Ev stopped her rubbing to look at him. "You look terrible."

Evangeline studied his face after accepting a kiss from him. She had missed his lips very much. "You don't look much better," she held his chin in her hands and stared at him. "When was the last time you slept?"

Tony shrugged, pushing away from his work table and rolling to his desk where he pulled up a rendering of what looked like a new weapon for the Iron Man suit.

"Tony," Ev said, her tone was edgy.

"Two days ago," Tony waved a hand airily. "I've gone longer. I didn't really have any reason to sleep."

"Besides it being a basic human bodily function?" Evangeline retorted, looking at him in disbelief. She stood in front of his desk, her form filling the background behind the holographic image. Tony looked at her as if nothing was wrong.

"Tony," she said gently. "Please tell me the reason you didn't sleep is because you had some technological breakthrough that you just couldn't get away from."

"Nope," Tony said, his tone bright as he took a sip from a coffee mug and then pushed away from his desk to roll back to his work table. "You weren't around," he murmured. "Didn't want to sleep."

Evangeline sighed, walking over and putting her hands around his shoulders. She placed a kiss on his cheek. "Now that I'm here," she said quietly. "Will you sleep?"

Tony gave a noncommittal shrug. "I'm actually on a technological breakthrough this time," he said.

Ev had a feeling that he was only telling a half truth. She didn't believe for one second that the previous lack of her presence was the only reason Tony didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to fight him so she just pulled her black blazer off, tossed it onto a free space on an empty work table and placed her glasses on top of it. She tied her hair back, sat in a chair next to Tony and watched him work.

"Hey guess what?" Tony said, slipping his hand through the glove and testing it. He grabbed a screwdriver and tightened a few things. "You now have complete clearance with JARVIS," he said with a smile, putting the repulsor down.

Evangeline just looked at him with the best smile she could muster.

"Every room in Stark Tower is yours," he went on, winding an arm around her waist and pulling her to his side, their chairs clinked against each other. "You are now authorized." Tony grinned.

Ev smiled back, twining her own hands around Tony's body, pulling them closer. "And your heart?" she asked softly, looking into his bloodshot eyes. "Am I authorized to access that?"

Tony's grin faded and she saw the vulnerability in his eyes as she looked up at him with unassuming curiosity. She wanted him to know that she was simply asking.

He kissed her forehead in response. "If you can find it," he whispered back.

Evangeline scanned his eyes, watching as Tony carefully hid his emotions behind his banter and quick smile. He would make it very hard for her, she could tell. Not on purpose, but because it was his nature. She gave him a kiss on his lips.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "Listen, I'm going to go home, okay? Catch some sleep." Ev gave him another kiss goodbye.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked, turning his chair to face her as she picked up her things. "You can crash in my bed."

Evangeline shook her head and gave him a smile. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "Call me," she said and gave him a wave before walking back the way she had come.

* * *

Author's Note: Darts of Pleasure by Franz Ferdinand

"You are the latest contender  
You are the one to remember  
You are the villain who sends her  
Light or dark, fantastic passion  
I know that you will surrender  
I know that you will surrender  
I want this fantastic passion  
We'll have fantastic passion

You can feel my lips undress your eyes  
Undress your eyes, undress your eyes  
Words of love and words so leisured  
Words of poisoned darts of pleasure  
Died... and so you died

You are the latest adventure  
You're an emotion avenger  
You are the devil that sells her  
Light or dark, fantastic passion."


	8. What I'm Trying to Say

A big thank you **Misplaced Levity** for your kind review that made me do a rush edit on this chapter and decide to post it the night before I leave!

* * *

It took a few days for both of them to catch enough sleep to fall into their rhythm again. The Avengers did another press conference and a follow up meeting with the cabinet. Evangeline had a few research facility days, SHIELD weekends, and one meeting with the Russian ambassador before she spent another night in Tony's bed. They didn't catch much time together during the Avengers' time in Washington D.C. and they snuck moments when Ev flew back and forth for work. Finally, after half a month of ups and downs and off beat rhythms and short reunions - Evangeline finally got to spend more than twelve hours in Stark Tower. A majority of those hours were spent in Tony's bed.

Ev slid out of Tony's bed, placing a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek before going into the kitchen to make coffee. She took his robe from the floor and wrapped herself in it. She wandered towards the kitchen and watched as Natasha waved hello, went in and out of the kitchen with a cup of something that smelled strong and foul before retreating back to her room. Judging by the fact that she was wearing a pair of Clint's boxers and a tank top Evangeline decided not to say anything.

She made her way to the coffee maker and was greeted by JARVIS.

"Shall I assist you?" JARVIS offered.

"How fancy can Tony's coffee maker be?" Ev asked, amused as she studied the buttons.

"Ridiculously fancy," a voice answered. Evangeline turned around to see one Captain America standing in a pair of immaculate khaki pants and a white t-shirt. His hair was drying so Ev assumed Steve had just taken a shower. It had taken awhile for the Captain to warm up to the caffeinated drink, especially since it didn't affect him, but once he found a brew that was smooth, not too strong, and warm enough to fit his tastes he didn't mind having the occasional cup.

Ev smiled at him. "In that case, yes. JARVIS, what do I press first?"

JARVIS walked her through the process of making coffee in Tony's kitchen and soon Ev had a full pot brewing. Tony came shuffling out of his room, in pajama pants, rubbing his messy bedhead.

Evangeline was just pouring a cup of coffee for Steve and added a drop of milk for him, doing the same to her cup.

"Morning," she smiled at Tony, filling a cup of coffee and leaving it black before putting the pot away and placing the cup into Tony's hands. She gave him a kiss and sat on a stool, sipping her coffee.

"You should stay more often," Tony mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he drank the coffee, hot and black. "Usually I have to wait for one of them to figure out how to make the coffee before I get any."

"It would be a lot faster if you didn't have so much high tech machines in your kitchen, Stark," Steve complained. He was sorely missing the simple gadgets of the 40s and everyone knew it.

"My company is built on high tech machines, Cap," Tony gave Steve a look, draining half of his cup. "If I didn't have any in my house then what kind of Tony Stark would I be?"

Steve rolled his eyes, something he had no doubt picked up from the two assassins, and Evangeline laughed into her cup. "Thanks for the coffee, Evangeline," Steve said, taking his cup, making a bit of a face at Tony and leaving the kitchen.

"Easy on the Captain," Ev said as Tony wrapped an arm around her waist.

Tony looked at her for the first time and saw that she was all easy smiles, hair loose around her face and his robe on tied around her body. "Ah," he said, fiddling with the sash on her waist. "Found my robe."

"Sorry," Evangeline said, not sounding sorry at all. "I picked up the first thing off the floor."

Tony gave a knowing grin. "Steve's right," he said, emptying his cup and setting it by the sink. "You should make coffee more often."

Ev just gave him a nudge and an exasperated eye roll before finishing her cup and following Tony back to his room. Tony didn't say anything more, but he felt it again. The shock and realization that Evangeline looked so _right_ standing in his kitchen, asking JARVIS how to make coffee and pouring a cup for him. He wanted to keep that picture forever. He didn't even mind that the picture had a bit of Steve in it.

They showered separately as Tony flopped back into bed and picked up one of the many Stark gadgets on his night stand so that he could ask JARVIS to go over calculations that had popped into his head during his coffee and re-calibrate a few things for the Mach VII. He wanted to improve its response time. Ev just shook her head and jumped in the shower.

She walked out fifteen minutes later, towel drying her hair. Tony looked up, seeing as how the towel that was currently running itself through her hair was the only remotely cloth related thing she had in her hands and tossed his calculations aside.

"You really shouldn't walk around my room like that," Tony said, coming up behind her as she rooted around Tony's drawers.

Evangeline didn't keep that many clothes in Stark Tower, but she had a few. This time however, she slid into a pair of Tony's pajama bottoms and hunted for a simple t-shirt. Tony kissed her neck, tugging her body to his and placing his hands on her hips.

Ev just laughed and turned her shoulders to kiss Tony on the lips. "You had your fun last night, Stark," she chided him. Stepping away so she could tug the shirt she had found over her head. She pulled her long, curly hair free and smiled at him.

Tony gave a pout and then looked down at her shirt. "Hmm," he smiled. "I approve."

Evangeline looked down and saw that she had put on a 'Stark Industries' t-shirt. She looked at Tony's grinning face and rolled her eyes, giving him a playful shove backwards.

"Oh shut up," she murmured as he gave her a teasing pull, planting kisses all over her face and neck. "Tony," Ev laughed, placing her hands over his. "Tony, stop that tickles," she giggled, his scruff tickling her skin.

Tony pulled back, their noses touching and the side of his mouth rose. "You should wear that t-shirt all the time," he decided.

"I wonder what Fury would say if I showed up to SHIELD meeting in this shirt and jeans," Ev teased.

"Mmm," Tony made a face. "He might not like that."

Ev laughed. "He might not is right," she gently released herself from his embrace, their fingers tangling together. "I'm going to go see to something called breakfast," she said, walking away. "You do remember what that is, right?"

"I'm sorry, I eat whenever I feel like it," Tony said, waving his hand airily. "What is this breakfast you speak of?"

"Shower," Evangeline ordered, pointing to his bathroom as she stopped at his doorway. "You smell like sex and sweat."

"Best smell there is," Tony grinned. He sniffed his skin and shrugged. "I think I smell like you," he corrected.

Ev just shook her head with a smile and walked out. Tony whistled on his way to the bathroom.

* * *

Evangeline was in the process of letting waffles cool in the waffle maker JARVIS had directed her to. She had already made an omelette which Bruce came trooping out of his room for. He had taken a chunk out of the omelette she had set on a plate, smiled gratefully at her, and disappeared.

Ev grabbed a second cup of coffee and wandered through Tony's living room and out to Stark Tower's large glass balcony that was practically suspended over the city. She forgot about breakfast for the moment as she watched Manhattan rush away beneath her. The sun was just fresh from rising at dawn and it's light was slowly growing stronger, spreading over the city. She didn't even notice the four Avengers that came shuffling into the kitchen to immediately attack her waffles.

Tony saw her figure there, her hair swaying in the wind and cup of coffee in hand. He kept getting hit with these truck loads of realizations and emotions that it was making him a bit scared when the sight of Ev on his balcony coupled with the memory of her making coffee in his kitchen made him want to marry her on the spot. Since when was Tony Stark thinking like that? As he walked up behind his girlfriend he thought of the next best thing.

"Hey," he said, quietly so as not to startle her. He was fresh out of the shower with drops of water on his neck. Ev brushed them away when he stepped to her side. "I just thought of something," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Oh?" Evangeline asked, taking a small sip of her coffee. "A good thought?"

"I think so," Tony said slowly. His fingers played with Ev's hand, so small and dainty but belonging to a strong woman. "Will you move in with me?" he asked, immediately afraid she would say no. "Into Stark Tower?"

Evangeline stared at him, surprised at the sudden request. Tony's hand slowly dropped from hers.

"You know, into my room where you can put your own clothes in my drawers instead of wearing my pajamas?" Tony went on, babbling and having the sudden urge to pace. Ev blinked. "No?" Tony asked, his throat tightening. He waved a hand as if it was nothing. "Right. Bad idea. Got it."

Evangeline stared at him as he turned to walk away before she snapped into action. "No, Tony wait a second," she caught his hand, making him stop mid-step. "Tony, stop. Just hold on. Come back here." She let out a breath as Tony backtracked, standing in front of her once more. He had a strange look on his face. "Two seconds, okay? Slow down." She let out an apprehensive laugh, running a hand through her hair. "You surprised me, that's all. Don't run away."

She studied Tony's face with worry. "Did you actually think I would say no?" she asked, her fingers touching his cheek.

Tony's eyes were so childish in that moment, wide and slightly scared. "Yes," he said quietly.

He had never trusted his heart with anyone since Pepper. And she had known everything about him first. Ev still had so much to learn, and Tony wasn't that great at sharing. But he wanted to do it with her. He wanted to share the same space with her and her soft breath and feel the warmth of her body next to his. He didn't even mind sharing his blanket with her when she swept it closer to her body. They slept so close together that it didn't matter to him anyway.

"Oh Tony," Evangeline sighed, wrapping her arms around him to hug him. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Of course I'll move in," she said and the tightness in Tony's chest slowly ebbed away. She pulled back to look at him. "It's a big step, you know. Are you sure you're willing to share space in your bed? In Stark Tower?"

"If it's space with you then hell yeah," Tony answered, smiling with relief. "If Stark Tower is big enough for the Avengers, then it can certainly handle you."

Ev's fingers traced his jawline and she gave him a soft kiss. "You crazy, impossible man," she whispered against his lips. "God, yes," she went on. "Why wouldn't I move in?"

"Because I'm a terrible person to live with," Tony said brightly. "Steve complains all the time. He says I have horrible habits."

Evangeline laughed. "Well I'll keep Steve's warnings in mind then," she said. Tony smiled at her. Ev felt nervous, it was a big step after all, but she truly believed that she and Tony could do it. They'd be all right. "Steve shouldn't worry too much though," Ev said, the two of them walking back to the kitchen. "I happen to be a _great_ person to live with."

"You got that right," Clint said.

Ev and Tony blinked at the sight of four Avengers sitting in Tony's kitchen, stuffing their faces with waffles and fruit. The second half of her omelette was long gone.

"Any person who can make waffles this good should move in right away," the archer went on.

Evangeline blinked and then laughed, a light pink hue spreading across her cheeks. "Well thanks, Clint," she said, grabbing a waffle for herself.

"How did you figure out how to make these?" Steve asked, drizzling syrup across his waffles.

"How long have you been living here? Honestly, Steve you know you can ask JARVIS for anything right?" Tony said, slightly exasperated.

Tony dripped syrup onto his waffles and chewed a slice. Ev really did make great waffles. Of course, this was his second taste of them.

Evangeline just smiled. "I'll show you," she told Steve. "It's not too bad."

"Cinnamon," Natasha commented, not even bothering to use Russian. She gave Ev a smile. "If you're going to stay then we're going to have to set up a training schedule."

Ev made a face and gave a quiet groan. "Oh god," she sighed.

"Wait, how do you all know already?" Tony demanded, looking at each Avenger in turn. They all gave him placid smiles that didn't reveal a thing. "JARVIS," Tony said. "Did you tell them?"

"I thought they should know that another person would be joining them from now on, sir," JARVIS replied.

Bruce chuckled and Ev laughed quietly behind her hand as Tony glared at nothing in particular.

"I swear," Tony muttered. "He spoils everything."

"Oh no," Steve said, smiling. "For that I totally like JARVIS."

Tony rolled his eyes, threw his hands up in frustration and stuffed some waffle into his mouth.

Evangeline just laughed, gave him a kiss on the cheek and poured a round of coffee for the four seated in Tony's kitchen. Maybe living in Stark Tower wasn't going to be such an apprehensive journey after all.

* * *

Ev quickly adjusted to Tony's work habits and hours. It became a push and pull system, but so far in their almost two months together compromises were reached easily. Tony, being a genius, quickly learned what it meant to have a person care for him. It took him a while to understand that he had to give back, and he had a harder time figuring out how to do that on top of working on his timing. But Evangeline, Tony learns, is a ridiculously understanding and patient person, so much that Tony feels she should have a medal for it.

Tony gets reminders when he's too immersed in his work at least once a week from Ev. Usually those nights coincide with Tony's subconscious remembering that Evangeline will be leaving for the weekend. So he preps himself for another endless streak of time with Dummy and JARVIS at his side instead of Ev in his bed. He still had his fellow Avengers of course, but it wasn't the same. Any one of them would throw him out of their rooms if he claimed he needed a sleeping partner because his girlfriend was out of town.

She explained it to him a while back, when they first started, that she had taken her work for chunks at a time because of him. Because she wanted to have equal chunks of time _with_ him. Tony couldn't decide if he preferred her disappearing for a few hours every day or being gone for three days. He dreaded the time whenever she talked about research work because that meant two weeks minimum. Bruce explicitly told him that he didn't think Tony would last the first five days of those two weeks and Tony knew he was right.

And tonight was one of those "in preparation of Ev being gone for a few days" nights.

"Sir, I have a message for you," JARVIS said.

"What?" Tony asked, half registering JARVIS' words as his eyes darted from one holographic model to the other, trying to sort out the kink in his new project. "Who's it from?"

"Ms. Miller," JARVIS informed him.

"Where is she?"

Every time JARVIS said Ev had left a message Tony asked where his girlfriend was. He figured she must love him at least a little since she stuck around, but sometimes he found himself waiting for her to walk out. Usually JARVIS just reminded him that Ev was gone for a few days in whatever city work pulled her to. His subconscious was slowly getting used to telling him that Ev left a message with JARVIS to call him to bed because she was in Stark Tower, in his _bedroom_. If she was at work and wanted to leave a message then she'd call him herself. And yet, Tony's doubtful heart betrayed him.

"In your room, sir." JARVIS sounded almost tired about it.

"All right, play it." Tony's hands moved as he redid a section of the model and then put one hand under his chin, studying it. "Hurry up, JARVIS, I'm busy." _So close_, he thought as he stared at it._ Something's missing_.

"Tony?" Ev's voice said. Tony blinked in surprise for a second and went so far as to glance over his shoulder before rolling his eyes at his own reaction. His hands went back to work. "Hey, I know you're probably busy, but I really think you should come to bed and catch a few hours of sleep. I'll even settle for two or three hours." There was a pause. "Your bed is really big, you know. And I warned you, Tony Stark, I'm a cuddler. Once you go there you never go back." Tony could hear the joking laugh in her voice, but underneath it he heard how tired she was. His hands spun the model again. She gave a tiny sigh. "I miss your body next to mine, okay? Come to bed, please."

"Your reply, sir?" JARVIS cut through Tony's thoughts.

"I'll be there in a little while," Tony automatically responded, his mind already racing on a thought he had while staring at the middle of the image suspended in front of him. His hand reached in and enlarged it. Tony forgot about Ev's message as soon as he started running calculations.

"A little while" turned out to be two in the morning. Tony highly doubted Ev had stayed awake for him, and when he walked into his room he found he was right. They had only been together a month and a half, and she had learned fast. He wasn't particularly good at answering her messages, but he made an effort. He climbed into bed next to her and found her curled up, a ball beneath his sheets.

"Ev," Tony said softly, touching her shoulder as he slid his body in next to hers. "Loosen up, babe. You're in a ball."

She gave a quiet murmur, her brow furrowing, and the corner's of Tony's mouth rose on their own when he saw how adorable it was with her lower lip pouting slightly. Her hand latched onto his and slowly her legs spread out, matching his beneath the sheets.

"What time is it?" she asked as she rotated to face Tony, letting his hand go. Already her face buried itself somewhere between the space she had claimed as hers in the area between his neck and the dip in his shoulder.

"Two in the morning," Tony answered, kissing the top of her head and smoothing her hair away.

"Hmm," he felt her smile with her eyes still closed. "You didn't take as long this time."

"I'm learning," Tony said honestly, blinking at the truth of that statement. He thought back in that moment, to all the things that Ev has helped him learn, whether he knew it at the time or not.

Like the days that Tony got drunk and Ev wasn't around. Tony thanks whatever god is listening, even if it's Thor again, that Ev hasn't had the misfortune to witness Tony's really bad days. He has his worst ones when she's away for more than two days at a time and he makes the entire Stark Tower swear up and down that they won't tell her about those days that Tony locks himself in his lab and works until he's exhausted and drinks because he has nothing better to do and one of the boys has to take him to bed. He cleans up before Ev notices.

But he's learned to see it in her eyes. She's not stupid and neither is he. Tony suspects that Ev knows and the fact that she doesn't say anything kills him and is a relief at the same time. He feels so many emotions around Ev most of the time that he doesn't know which one to choose. So he drinks to help make up his mind, but it doesn't actually help. That's one thing he hasn't learned to outgrow just yet. But she doesn't say anything. And still, he can see it in her eyes. That sad, wondering look that makes him feel guilty, but also makes him want to drown that guilt in scotch. Her silence drives him crazy.

Tony brushes the thoughts away with quick squeeze shut of his eyes as Ev's hands are gentle on his skin as she snuggles into him. The touch and weight of her small hand on his ribcage and the little tingles he is suddenly aware of as her foot nudges itself between his legs and twines their lower halves together make him forget everything but her soft hair and sweet smile. He hugs her tightly on instinct, because he wants her to never leave even though he knows she has to.

Tony curses her work for a second before breathing the scent of her skin, the reality of _her_ in _his _bed makes his insides quake with fear and want at the same time. Sometimes just the thought of Evangeline alone, the picture of her standing in front of him smiling or her face so close to his as she gives him a kiss, is enough to make Tony dizzy. And all of it frightens him. It's not like blasting a bunch of invading aliens to death or annihilating a bad guy. It's so much different. He has no target menu for this, no JARVIS to recommend which maneuver he should use. Because in this adventure, Tony doesn't have the suit. Her eyes are worse than any other bullet because they _see_ him. And Tony wonders when she'll start hating what she sees.

Ev shifted, wrapping an arm around his waist and drawing them closer. Warmth spread through Tony from head to toe as her body pressed closer against his. His thoughts start floating away from his inner turmoil and more to the simple existentialism of the two of them in the same space. He is painfully reminded that he won't get that same warmth for the next two nights. The touch of Ev's nose on his skin and her lips placing a kiss on his chest made him push that thought away.

"Missed you," she whispered.

_God I'll miss you too_, Tony thinks as he tilts her head up and she looks at him, smiling. She looks so blissfully sleepy that if Tony had a heart he knew it would be aching for her, for everything that she is. He gives her a kiss on the lips and lets her settle back into his neck.

Tony decides then that yes, he will miss Ev when she eventually leaves for good. Because you know what? The best ones always do. Some small thing inside him hopes that Ev will prove him wrong.

* * *

Author's Note: What I'm Trying to Say by Stars (not Franz Ferdinand or The National, what is going on?)

"You look so good in the shoes of an outcast  
I kissed your throat every time they said it wouldn't last  
But then I knew you, I knew you, I knew you  
I really knew you

We fell apart in the parties of the empty heart  
We danced the junkies in the shadows of bad modern art  
We clicked our heels and we wished we were home  
One more tab and your silk hits the chrome

I am trying to say  
What I want to say  
Without having to say  
"I love you"."

On a totally unrelated side note: I really love Stars.

SPOILERS: Chapter 9 - What You Meant by Franz Ferdinand (which I'll finish while I'm away and post when I get back, and I'm really sorry to leave you hanging).

_Someone will get caught in a kidnap/killing car chase, lob grenades and empty gun clips and get grazed by a bullet. Someone will go home with a concussion, broken fingers, and stitches. Someone will have nightmares again._


	9. What You Meant

Evangeline went out on a perfectly normal day, taking her Ducati out for some fresh air. She drove out to Central Park and parked her bike, chained the gorgeous thing, and went for a walk by the Lake. On her way home - she still grinned when she thought of Stark Tower as home, even if she and Tony had had a discussion where she refused to self her current apartment that had taken years to furnish perfectly - Tony called her asking about the possibility of replenishing some of their empty groceries since Steve wouldn't stop pestering him about it.

Ev had warned him that her Ducati didn't carry much, but she could pick up a few small things. He had had JARVIS give her a list. PopTarts for whenever Thor stopped by, tequila for Nat and Clint, some more ingredients for her waffle batter because Steve and Clint wanted more waffles by the weekend, and q-tips. The q-tips made Ev's brow furrow but she made her way to the closest market she could find.

On her way back Ev took her time, taking care with the tequila bottles that clinked in the backpack she kept stowed on her Ducati that held emergency kits and essentials. The tequila bottles shifted as she made a turn and found herself being surrounded by the roar of high speed engines. The street was by no means empty but Ev immediately felt like she was in danger. One glance in her mirror told her she was being boxed in by four BMWs. Ev felt panic in her chest for a moment before the immediate response from the SHIELD training she had gone through, which she had taken as a necessary precaution along with the training Natasha had given her, kicked into gear. She thanked the heavens for making her listen to her dad and take evasive driving when she learned how to handle her first motorcycle. Evangeline compartmentalized her thoughts on instinct. She didn't need memories of her father coming up when her life was in danger.

Immediately Ev swerved, cutting across a few lanes and outgunning two of the BMWs. She cut through traffic, jumped a sidewalk and pulled away from all the main avenues. A few minutes passed and each of the BMWs kept their pace as Ev pulled their chase away from the city center. She did her best to go in the direction of Brooklyn Bridge but they kept cutting her off and boxing her in. Evangeline did evasive turn after another, skirting traffic and running redlights and gunning her way North instead of South, towards Harlem.

One pulled forward and she kept thinking in her head about her father's words: "A person on a motorcycle moves twice as fast as anyone else on the road. That's why they're so dangerous." He had encouraged her to get her motorcycle license when she held onto the notion at sixteen and refused to let it go. That was one of the few memories she had of her father. She hadn't seen him in years and she knew from a news clipping that he had died of old age some years back. She hadn't attended the funeral.

_So let's be dangerous_, Ev thought as two of the BMWs continued their chase and their two friends soon followed.

She recognized their maneuvers as something Natasha had explained as a typical kidnapping formation. Box in, snatch, and spread with target in hand. Natasha frowned upon the technique, saying it was too textbook. Trained men, then? Ev looked at the cars following her in her mirrors and frowned. She couldn't settle on the idea that they wanted her for her job and its information or the fact that she was involved with one of the Avengers. It was probably a combination, she decided, swerving again, her tires skidding.

Evangeline cursed the red light that appeared and she realized with a jolt that she was in a school zone. She immediately peeled off to the left, taking a back avenue and doubling around, heading out of Harlem. She skidded her way onto FDR Drive and gunned her engine. The BMWs, unfortunately, had no problem following.

She wasn't in one of Tony's high tech cars that she had seen. She couldn't call JARVIS with the sound of her voice. Doubt crept into Ev's heart as it pumped wildly in her chest. Could she do this? Could she survive this?

"Shut up," Ev growled under her breath, jerking her bike across a lane and speeding past three cars and running a red light. "Focus."

Ev took a deep breath and remembered the backpack that sat, clinking with tequila bottles, on her back. It was for emergencies and contained essentials. "Essential" and "emergency" were two words that computed the following in the SHIELD protocol section of her brain: a fully-loaded gun.

Evangeline took the chance, grabbing for the gun as she slowed, zooming around three SUVs and a Porsche before jumping across an exit lane. She did an evasive maneuver, shot around three of her pursuers and slid to change directions, making tire treads on the pavement as she kept the East River on her left.

She shrugged the backpack off and reached for the space behind her, making a quick pass with one hand and shoving two clips into her belt. She steadied her bike and breathed deeply, ready to reach for the other gun she knew that was behind her. It was already loaded, she made a point to see to that and in seconds in was in her hand.

She leaned down as she was met with a pileup of traffic and realized she had three grenades at her disposal. The moment she leaned over she felt a bullet whiz past her arm and her bicep explode with pain. She felt blood leak down her arm and she winced. Ev gritted her teeth, the pain reminding her of the time she set her broken toes and injuries from ballet when she was younger. When she had to do everything for herself. This was no different.

_Focus_, she repeated, her eyes narrowing as she chose a prime spot to crash her bike_. You are not helpless this time. You've got weapons. Use them. _

Ev closed her eyes for a second, took a breath, and let it rip.

* * *

Three grenades, four major explosions, four wrecked BMWs, six misplaced and semi-wrecked civilian cars, and two empty clips later and Ev was sitting on the top of a hood of some Toyota while people shouted about 911 and pointed fingers.

The training Natasha had put her through, brutal and bruising, had proved fruitful. Even the SHIELD protocol training had come in handy. Ev had never imagined in a million years that she would trade science, lab coats, and Louboutins for training with the infamous Black Widow and learning fifteen different ways to disarm and kill a man. But in the moment the first man fired a shot at her and she was forced to jump from her bike, duck and roll, she was glad for it.

Evangeline wasted no time getting to a hospital after she left a street full of smoking BMWs and dead men. She didn't care who they were or what they were after (although she had a pretty good idea on the second topic). She just wanted to get to a hospital and get rid of the pounding in her head. She left her Ducati where it was, completely scratched up and tossed into the air from the force of one of the grenades she had lobbed. Ev realized she needed stitches as well. The bullet graze was starting to make her arm feel like a throbbing monster.

She found her phone, scratched but completely workable and dialed a SHIELD number she knew by heart. When a car arrived on scene agents immediately set to work, making it look like the situation had never happened. The crowd was cleared, the wreckage pulled away, traffic started flowing again and they transported Ev in a SHIELD van. They offered to restore Ev's bike but she just waved them away.

Agent Maria Hill was there, supervising and seeing that Ev was treated. She was pronounced with a concussion, given stitches, had a bullet graze checked, had her broken fingers taped up and given pain medication.

"Don't sleep for the next couple of hours," Agent Hill recommended. "We can't give you a CAT scan, but you should be fine." She surveyed the wreckage. "You did good."

Evangeline gave a grim smile. "Thanks." She didn't mean it.

"Do you want to know who they are?" Agent Hill offered, the team was already inspecting and gathering information.

Ev remembered the moment she saw the box of PopTarts and bottles of tequila spill from her bag and crash into the windshield of the BMW behind her. Instantly she thought of Tony in Stark Tower.

"No," she decided. "Don't tell me anything. I'd rather forget about this."

Agent Hill frowned. "I'll have a secure file locked away in your apartment," she said briskly, not leaving the matter open for discussion.

Ev lowered the ice pack she had been holding to her head. "Uh, sure," she mumbled. "Can I get a car to take me to Stark Tower?"

Hill looked her over. "Remember what I said," she looked Ev in the eye like a mother to a child. The van slowed and they pulled over. As Ev climbed out she realized that she hadn't gotten far along FDR Drive. The SHIELD van had taken her back up as far as the beginnings of the Upper East Side. A new car pulled up, ready to take Evangeline away. It wasn't that far to Stark Tower, she could have walked, but she went towards the car on unsteady feet. Maybe it was necessary after all.

"Is Stark waiting on you?"

Ev shrugged. "I have no idea," she looked around one last time. "This was a day out turned into a grocery run turned into I don't know what. Tony's probably working. I'll see you later, Hill."

"Take care, Ev," Hill said, her hand on the door Evangeline had just entered to sit in the SHIELD car. "Please."

"Will do," Ev answered, giving the best smile she could muster before Agent Hill shut the door and the car whisked Evangeline away from the place that would surely become a nightmare.

The car dropped her off and the driver left without a word. She rode the elevator up, not bothering to answer JARVIS' questions. She made her way to Tony's lab, saying nothing and trying to think about nothing the whole way.

She entered her code, pushed the door open and slowly walked into his lab.

"Hey," Tony said, giving his simulated holographic model a few prods as his body turned to Ev. His head was the last to look at her. The smile on his face dropped when he saw her standing there. "Whoa," he frowned, getting up and immediately putting one hand on her scratched cheek and the other on her hip. "What happened to you?"

Evangeline closed her eyes and gave her head a little shake. "Nothing," she said. "It was on my way here," she took Tony's hand away from her face and held it. "I'm fine," she assured him, meeting his eyes. "Sorry, but no PopTarts or tequila or waffle ingredients for anyone."

"Steve will be so sad that he can't have your waffles," Tony said, giving Ev a smile. When her face didn't change and her body stayed rigid Tony frowned. "You don't look fine," Tony pointed out, his eyes scanned her body. "You got stitches. And that's a bandage on your arm." The blood that already colored the fabric wrapped around his girlfriend's upper arm shook him to the core. He led her to a chair. "Sit," he demanded. "Explain."

Ev sighed, resting her head in her hands. Her brow furrowed as her head pounded. "I don't know," she said quietly. "Some attempt on my life."

"Attempt on your life?" Tony repeated, his voice rising. "Jeez Ev, you can't say that like it's nothing! Who was it? Did you get a good look? What were their plates? JARVIS!" Tony called.

"Tony," Evangeline said softly. "Tony, stop." Tony stared at her. She didn't even raise her eyes to his; she just closed them and breathed deeply.

"They tried to kidnap me, okay?" she said, her voice sharp but tired. "When that didn't work they tried to kill me. My bike was wrecked in the process." She held her hand up for him to see. "Broken fingers, bruised ribs, some stitches, and a concussion. I think a bullet grazed me at some point."

She said the sentence so airily that Tony began to splutter in disbelief. He knew what it was like to have no armor. It scared him to think of what could happen to Ev, what almost happened to her, because of the fact that she didn't have any. She didn't have an Iron Man suit. Tony couldn't protect her all of the time. He suddenly wanted to hold her and make her shut up.

"I'm fine," she repeated, finally raising her green eyes to his brown.

Tony's face looked like something between worry and anger. He gave an exasperated twitch of his hand, made a face and then sat down next to her. "Okay, one," he said sternly, making sure to hold her gaze. "You're _not_ fine, so stop saying that because it's pissing me off. Two, you can't just ignore this. Ev, you almost-" Tony stopped, his eyes large and Ev saw fear in them.

They stared at each other, both of them so vulnerable. Evangeline ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "All right," she said quietly. "So I'm not fine. Can we just not talk about the kidnapping and killing part?"

Tony gave a small nod, looking away. "So," he said, tucking hair behind her ear. "Concussion, huh?"

"Yeah," Ev sighed, tapping her hands on her legs. She started to rise from the chair. "It's not too bad."

Too bad was an understatement. The moment Evangeline put her weight on her own two feet she tipped sideways, stumbling. Tony caught her in time and sat her down again. Ev's face was blank and pale and her hands clutched at his arms like a vise.

"Clearly everything you've been saying is pretty much an understated lie," Tony pointed out, taking her face in his hands. "If you have a concussion, then no sleeping. Stay with me," he ordered, searching her eyes. "Come on, what did the doctor give you?"

Evangeline gave a whimpered sigh and leaned into Tony's chest. "They fixed me up, gave me medication and some orders and sent me on my way," she said, her eyes wide and glassy. She didn't mention SHIELD. She felt terrible and frustrated and terrified all at once.

Tony rubbed her arm in soothing circles. "All right," he said, his voice soft. "That's good." He hugged her upper body tightly. "So you just need to rest."

"I never want to feel like this again," Ev whispered, her fingers wrapped around Tony's wrist like it was her lifeline. "Don't let me feel this again. I was," she choked off and took a breath. "So helpless. For a second, I didn't know if I could beat them or not."

"Whatever you want," Tony promised. He shushed her and stroked her hair. "You've never been helpless," he said. "You're strong. You're going to be okay."

Ev only gave a sniffle in response. Tony dropped a kiss on the top of her head and held his girlfriend tightly.

* * *

Later, when Evangeline was recovered from her concussion, her ribs healed, fingers set, and the bullet graze was on the mend she was still a bit touchy. She spent most of her days working and training with Natasha. She eventually made Steve and Clint their waffles and everyone got their groceries, but Ev didn't do much else. Tony could make an educated guess that it was all about training. Some days Clint joined them. Steve ran drills with her in the weight room, teaching her how to do hand to hand combat. JARVIS informed Tony several times when he asked where Ev was to check the weight room. When he asked if Steve was in with her JARVIS would reply with a no. Tony could imagine very well what her face would look like, all determined as she punched the living daylights out of sandbags with her petite hands.

Once Steve had come to Tony, who was seated on his living room couch running specs on a handheld device, and told him that one of the rooms was playing classical music and he wanted to know why. Bruce kept saying that it was annoyingly pretentious so Steve went to ask Tony about it.

"What does annoyingly pretentious even sound like?" Tony snorted, tossing the tablet aside and getting to his feet.

"You," Steve offered.

Tony glared at him. "You hang around Clint too much," he commented. "Isn't classical music supposed to be soothing?"

"I don't know," Steve shrugged. "Some of the classical stuff I've heard sounds really angry and the notes sound like they're screeching."

Tony stared at Steve before shaking his head. "Whatever," he said. "I'll go see what it is. But seriously, Steve. Ask JARVIS when you have a problem about the music in one of the room's; he can just shut it off."

"That's impolite," Steve protested.

Tony shrugged. "But then you'll know who's in the room when they come out to yell at you," he pointed out, walking down the hall.

Steve gave Tony an exasperated look before going back to his room.

"JARVIS," Tony called as he approached the door. "Who's inside and what's playing?"

"Ms. Miller, sir," JARVIS informed him. Tony raised an eyebrow. "She asked me to play the Swan Lake Opus 20, Act IV Finale on repeat."

"Why?" Tony asked, putting in a code to unlock the door.

"She's been doing ballet for the past hour, sir."

"Ballet?" Tony repeated, both of his eyebrows going up. All of a sudden the home dance studio in Ev's apartment started making more sense.

JARVIS didn't answer. Tony took that to an equivalent of a shrug from his AI system and opened the door.

The room was dimly lit and Tony immediately cringed as the song started over with a crash of symbols and equal thrum of brass and strings. Steve and Bruce were right about the volume. He didn't know Ev could do ballet. It was probably part of her personal file, the one thing JARVIS didn't have much information on.

"Ev?" he asked, reaching to the side panel of the room to turn the lights up and the music down.

Evangeline completed a series of moves, none of which Tony could name but all looked increasingly complicated, before stumbling at the sound of his voice cutting through her music. She immediately restarted, not bothering to further acknowledge his presence. There were no mirrors in the room so Tony had no idea how she could see herself. Didn't dancers practice with mirrors?

"What's up?" Tony asked. "Bruce is complaining about the noise. Apparently you could've chosen a less annoying piece."

Ev didn't answer. She stayed in the same position that she had stepped out of some turn, facing the front, her shoulders square and solid. Tony realized she was wearing a tank top and shorts and that she had danced everything in half socks.

"Hey," Tony said quietly when she didn't move a muscle. He came up to her shoulder and put his hand on it. "Since when do you know how to do ballet?"

Evangeline stepped out of his touch and backed to the center of the room. Tony watched her go, her face half-turned from his and he stood at the front, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I did ballet when I was little." Her voice was soft and strained and when she faced Tony with her chin high and arms placed in some position - first? - Tony realized that she was silently crying.

"Really?" Tony responded automatically, too busy staring at the sight of Ev doing turns while crying, perfectly spotting the wall in front of her. He noticed how she refused to spot him, when he was standing in a perfectly good place at the front.

"Mmhm," she murmured, stopping to bend at the knee and sweep her arms into some other position. "I took ballet until I was twelve."

"Why did you stop?" Tony asked, his eyes narrowing. "You seem to be okay at it."

"My mom died," Ev said briskly, switching moves again. Tony lost track of what she was doing with her arms and legs and watching her spin was making him dizzy. "I got tired of watching all the moms do the other girls' hair when I had to learn to do it myself. I got tired of sewing the ribbons on my own pointe shoes and fixing a broken toe with my own hands. I got tired of watching them carpool home after class, rehearsals, and recitals and have sleepovers while I caught the train home. So I stopped."

"Ev," Tony began, sighing lightly.

"I got tired of being helpless," she went on.

Tony didn't know how she managed to keep turning to the same spot over and over again because he was pretty sure that no one could see through the river that was practically pouring out of his girlfriend's eyes at the moment.

"This is about your accident. Not your mom dying or ballet," Tony said quietly. "Will you please stop spinning?" he half-snapped as Ev started going into those endless turns that he didn't know the name of.

Evangeline stepped out of her fouétte, taking ragged breaths. She didn't bother wiping at her cheeks or catching the tears that dripped from her chin. She just slid to a ball on the ground and brought her knees to her chest.

"Helplessness," Ev whispered, closing her eyes. "I can't bear it. Not after that. Not after this."

Tony crouched down in front of Ev and tried to find a way to meet her eyes. He reached out and started wiping the tears from her face. "Ev," he sighed, tilting her chin up. "You're not helpless and you know it."

"Yes!" Evangeline cried and gave a sniffle, pulling her face back from Tony's reach. "I am. I couldn't deal with being the only person helping myself when I was twelve. And I really didn't want to have to do it again a week ago!"

Tony stared at her. He had never seen her like this. Never knew what she had been through, only what he _saw_ her go through. And it wasn't much. Because she didn't show much. And he thought he had his mask down pat. He realized then how much Ev never revealed. How much of herself she didn't care for, but put all of that into taking care of other people.

"Ev, you don't have to take care of yourself alone," Tony reminded her. "You have four roommates and me to do that now. And JARVIS, if you want to count him."

"But I didn't have you when I was being shot at by hired kidnappers," Ev pointed out, finally meeting Tony's eyes. The wild look in her green eyes made him want to back away. "It was just me all over again. For so many years I supported myself. I didn't ask for help. And I didn't want it. But no one offered, you know? I learned everything I needed and wanted to know. I put it to use. But it's lonely," she said, pressing the palms of her hand to her eyes, her shoulders shaking. "So lonely and _hard_."

"Hey," Tony said softly, grabbing Ev's hands and holding them tightly. "Hey, look at me." Evangeline's eyes snapped to his. "I thought I was the head of crazy in this house, but you're beating me by a landslide. Ev, you're having a case of PTSD or something, okay? You're traumatized. You need to calm down. This is your past coming back to haunt you. It's not fun, I know that for a fact." Images of Afghanistan flashed past Tony's eyes and his jaw clenched automatically. "But I learned a while ago that your past doesn't have to make you who you are. It's a part of you. It can make you stronger." The arc reactor shone underneath Tony's shirt, it's light illuminating the space between them.

"I hate it," she whispered. "Being alone. I make a point to help others, do things for others, take _orders_ from others." She closed her eyes. "But how do I do that and take care of myself at the same time?"

Tony stared at her again, she wasn't making much sense. He had seen her do everything she was crying about for as long as he had known her. "You spend too much time thinking about other people. There are practically seven billion people on this planet. You can't save all of them. Save yourself first."

Evangeline was quiet for a long time as Tony held her hands and she put her face to her knees. "I think," she said slowly. "I'll take a cup of tea and a nap."

Tony blinked as Ev stood, heading towards the door.

"Wait, what?" he said, standing in front of her as she reached for the handle. "That's it?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "Moment of helplessness over. Time to move on."

"Wh-" Tony started to say, but Ev's face didn't change. It was dry and her eyes were a bit void of emotion but she looked a lot less deranged than she did five minutes ago. "Uh... okay," Tony cautiously agreed.

"Thank you," Evangeline said sincerely, pushing past Tony on her way to the kitchen.

Tony kept a close eye on her after that, but he let her nap on her own. He spent the rest of the day feeling very confused. Who was the girl that was asleep in his bed?

Motherless at 12. Fatherless since 2002. Maybe she had been void of parents long before either of them had died. Was Ev's childhood like his? Brotherless for god knows how long and that member of her family hadn't even died. Just when Tony thought he could predict her, when he thought they had some sort of adjustable routine, she went and flipped this on him. A little blast from her past. And jeez, what a past it was.

* * *

After that day it seemed like she had gotten most of the trauma out of her system. But some of it still lingered.

There was tension whenever Tony was close to her. Once, a week and a half after the incident Tony had shifted over to wrap his arm around her waist when he was half asleep with her in their bed and they had ended up with Ev straddling him and her arm at his throat.

"Ev," he had choked out, seeing the wild look in her eyes. "Relax, breathe. It's me. It's Tony. Ease up, babe."

Evangeline had flopped back onto the bed after holding herself there for a moment, ready to choke and crush Tony's larynx, with a deep exhale and put a hand over her eyes. She had apologized extensively during the days after that, beside herself with embarrassment.

"I can't believe I did that to you," she whispered the night after, horror on her face as she lay against Tony's side. "To you, of all people! I should never be afraid of you. You're not even close to being the enemy!"

Tony had soothed her, something he found himself surprisingly good at. He was never a master at his own problems, but he had an easier time caring for Ev's. "It's a fresh wound, you know?" he had explained to her. "The feeling will subside. You'll be okay. You're getting there."

Evangeline had looked at him as if everything he said was some silly idea that would never come true. But she had nodded, her eyes watering, and snuggled into his arms and fallen into a gentle sleep.

A weight had settled into Tony's chest and it just wouldn't go away. Already for knowing him she had suffered and bore scars. He wasn't going to play the ignorance card. It wasn't a coincidence that they were romantically involved and that she had gotten hurt. He was entirely convinced that there had been an attempt on Ev's life because of him, because of who he was. It was Yinsen all over again. Someone he had failed to protect. Ev told him more than once that the worst thing about it was the fear that she couldn't do anything, that her SHIELD training and all those days with Natasha wouldn't be enough, that she would be helpless.

The sight of her face when she had walked into his lab the day of her accident haunted Tony behind his closed eyelids for days. The sight of Ev's chin tilted up proudly, shoulders square and body in perfect position as she turned and turned but cried and cried until her face was blurry made Tony's chest tight. The way Ev winced whenever he came close to her or her shoulders gave a jump when a loud sound echoed made him ache to see her that way. Tony felt like he couldn't control himself. He wanted to lock her in a glass box and never let her leave. All of a sudden Evangeline looked vulnerable to him, and he never wanted to see her that way again. When she whimpered in her sleep one night Tony felt himself spiral away. Afghanistan memories came rushing back. The helplessness that his girlfriend feared so much. He knew it all.

Tony had a nightmare for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Author's Notes:

What You Meant by Franz Ferdinand

"As I took step number four  
Into the close of your tenement  
You cast your darkened eyes so low  
Said we're cold as the step cement

But I just don't know what you meant

If we were feckless we'd be fine  
Sucking hard on our innocence  
But we've been bright in our decline  
Been left as blackened filament

But I just don't know what you meant

'cause I feel blood inside the vein  
I feel life inside the ligament  
I feel alive yeah just the same  
Same vigour and the same intent

So I just don't know if that's what you meant."

R&R if you please! Thank you so much to all of you kind readers who have put this in your favorites or on story alert or left reviews. It means a lot! Enjoy :)


	10. 100 Suns

Please don't kill me for writing this chapter.

* * *

Explosion after explosion. Bullets raining down. Shouts of dying men in languages he didn't understand. The small scenes he could see through the slits in his heavy, crude faceplate were flashes of terrifying images.

A cool hand was on his forearm. But when Tony looked at his hand he saw nothing but the padding and metal of the escape suits he had worked to create with Yinsen.

_Yinsen_, Tony remembered. He clanked off in search of his friend.

Two turns, a bullet shower, five minutes later and Yinsen was dying in front of him.

"Come on," Tony told him. Inside his mind he begged for the only friend he had in this god forsaken place to get up and stop bleeding. "Stick to the plan!"

"This was the plan all along, Stark."

Tony's face kept its cool but inside he felt like screaming. He looked at his gloved hands, at the suit he was equipped with, and tried to come up with a solution. How could he help Yinsen? How could he save him? He had to save him!

Tony looked back up to meet Yinsen's eyes, the desperation clear on his face, and stumbled backwards with a horrified gasp.

Coulson lay there, dying as blood pooled across his stomach.

"Wh-what?" Tony choked out.

"Don't waste your life, Stark," Coulson said, but Yinsen's voice came from the agent's dying lips.

"First time you ever lose a soldier?" Steve's voice cut in. But when Tony turned his head to look there was no one there.

Tony looked back to where Coulson lay and let out a surprised and terrified yell and his knees nearly gave out.

Evangeline lay in front of him, propped up against the metal wall of the Helicarrier. She wasn't bleeding or relatively broken but she sat there, pale and gasping and staring pleadingly at Tony.

"Please," she begged him. Three voices said the words, but Ev's was the loudest. Tony had the sudden urge to put his hands over his ears and squeeze his eyes shut until it was all over.

Tony stepped back, panicking as he looked down and saw that he was wearing nothing but his pajamas. He realized he had been murmuring "no" over and over.

"I," he choked out, staring at Ev's limp hand on the ground. Her green eyes failed to sparkle. "I-I can't. I don't have anything. How-" Tony swallowed, dropping to his knees by Ev's side. When he took her hand it was like she ice, cold and stiff. "How do I help? Tell me what to do!"

"Please, Tony," she whispered.

Ev's face began to blur in Tony's vision. "No," he mumbled. "No you can't take her from me."

"Tony," Evangeline whispered. Her eyes were murky but they bore into his. "Save me," she begged. "Please, Tony. S-save me."

"I want to!" he cried, cradling her face. Her lips were white. "But I don't have anything!" He patted his clothes frantically. "I don't have anything!"

"Oh, Tony," she sighed, giving him a sad smile. Tears fell from her eyes. "You have everything you need. It's not your fault. It's okay."

Her fingers were soft on his cheek and he held her hand there, shedding tears of his own.

"Ev," he sobbed quietly, pleading. Tony Stark never pleaded or begged. But he'd stay on his knees for days, months, years to save Evangeline. "No, please."

"A hero," she whispered hoarsely. "And nothing less."

Tony closed his eyes with grief, shame, helplessness - a million things. Evangeline's hand slowly melted from his grip and Tony took a ragged breath. When he looked up again he stumbled back in confusion. It was Yinsen again, staring at Tony and taking shallow breaths.

"Go," Yinsen said.

Tony watched the kind and brilliant man die all over again. He looked down and saw that he was back in his first attempt at the Iron Man suit.

A bomb rocked the ground and practically split the air around Tony. He closed his eyes, shielding his friend's dead body and braced himself for impact.

* * *

"Tony!" Ev's voice said, shaking his shoulder.

"Argh!" Tony shouted, scrambling awake and promptly falling out of bed. His hands scrabbled at his body, checking parts as he jumped to his feet.

"Tony," Evangeline repeated, gentle this time. "Are you all right? You were having a nightmare." Her green eyes were alight with concern and she was very much alive as she sat up in their bed, hair tousled and free.

"Ugh," Tony groaned and rubbed his eyes as he pointed a finger at his girlfriend. "You- I saw you." The words tumbled from his mouth as he rubbed his face. "You were-" he stopped, looking at her. "You're not- and Coulson!" He turned away to pace, muttering to himself. "And Yinsen, and _god_!" Tony pressed his hands to his eyes.

Ev didn't move from the bed, shock taking over her body.

"Yinsen?" she asked slowly, unsure as to how to pronounce the foreign name.

"What?" Tony breathed, a hand still pressed to his forehead and in his hair. "Yinsen, yeah." He jerked his head in a nod, feeling as if someone had hit him with a metal pole across the forehead.

Ev's brow furrowed and she slowly swung her legs out of bed. "From your time in Afghanistan?" she guessed.

Tony stared at a spot in the floor, a haunted look in his eyes. The arc reactor glowed underneath the thin fabric of the shirt he wore to bed, which was now damp with sweat.

"Tony?" Evangeline said, putting a hand on his arm and gently pulling it away from his face. "Tony, it's all right. It was a nightmare. You're okay."

Tony looked at her without really seeing her and the moment his eyes focused on his girlfriend's worried face he saw the still and dead image of Evangeline in its place.

He broke away with a tortured gasp, stumbling as he left the room.

"Tony, wait!" Ev called, reaching for him but he slipped from her fingers.

She watched him go with a desperate look on her face. How could she calm him down when the very sight of her seemed to haunt him? Evangeline sat back down on the bed, brow furrowed. She had never witnessed one of Tony's nightmares before.

Ev took a deep breath, figuring that Tony had probably escaped to his lab. She decided to leave him alone for the night.

"JARVIS," she said.

"How may I help you?" the AI system answered.

"If anything changes with Tony will you let me know immediately?" Ev asked. "Wake me up with bells and whistles if you have to."

"Of course," JARVIS replied.

"Oh, and notify Steve or Clint after you inform me, please." Ev ran a hand through her hair. "They should know too."

"A wise precaution," JARVIS intoned.

Evangeline slowly settled back into bed, laced her fingers together and stared up at the ceiling of Tony's bedroom. For a moment she didn't know what to do. How was she going to handle this? It was no coincidence that Tony had had a nightmare.

She heard him whimper several times as he tossed around, asking for someone to "tell him what to do." She knew that phrase, the sound of a helpless person's request. And on top of that, the sentence about her that Tony couldn't finish. Clues she couldn't ignore.

Ev heard it and saw it in Tony's eyes. Her accident had caused Tony's nightmares to come back. She had read it in his file. The kidnapping a few years back in Afghanistan. Evangeline stared up at the ceiling with a frown. What in the world was she going to do?

* * *

Tony stayed in the lab for three whole days before Evangeline got him out. It was probably because he was so distressed that he forgot to lock Ev's code that got her such easy access after allowing him to mellow out. It took a lot of coaxing, but the fact that Tony was so limp and willing about it seriously worried her. His fellow Avengers assured her they had never witnessed one of his nightmares before, but were used to him staying down in the lab for copious amounts of time. Never had any of them witnessed Tony behaving in a way that he couldn't handle himself.

Something inside Ev knew that this nightmare was different from the others Tony must have had. This wasn't just past recurring and it had hit Tony harder than he expected it to. She bribed him out of his lab with some food first and he kept what she gave him down. He hardly said anything to her, only giving mumbles she couldn't understand.

The Avengers watched over him when Ev couldn't and Natasha and Bruce told her of the second nightmare she had missed while at work. Ev didn't want to leave Tony, but Fury had been adamant about her meeting. Sometimes she wanted to shoot the director right in his eye patch.

Steve and Bruce had described it to her while Natasha leaned against the kitchen counter with a frown while crossing her arms over her chest. Evangeline had come over as soon as Bruce had called her when her SHIELD jet touched down.

"JARVIS woke Bruce and I up," Steve said.

"Tony's screams woke me up," Natasha intoned quietly. Her expression was dark.

Ev felt like she was cracking apart and crumbling away like old paint. She wanted to bury her face in Tony's neck, put her hands in his hair, and beg him to come back to her.

"How long?" Ev asked, her arms crossed over her chest and her expression mirroring Natasha's.

"Ev," Nat said gently.

Evangeline knew the master assassin wasn't big on affection so she tried to ignore the petrified feeling in her stomach when Natasha looked at her with empathy. It was worse than the apologetic look Bruce gave her and the touch of Steve's hand on her shoulder.

"Stop treating me like he's dying," Ev said sternly, shrugging Steve's hand away with a determined frown. "_How long_?"

"Four days," Natasha said. "He locked everyone out. Muted JARVIS. It took a lot of hacking to get JARVIS' voice back in here."

Evangeline breathed deeply and walked to a counter. Immediately the screen of a Stark Industries computer rose in front of her and opened Stark Tower to her touch.

"I'm sorry, JARVIS," Ev said, her fingers already at work. Luckily, Tony hadn't locked out her touch from his technology, just her key code that opened all the doors. "Try not to make this too hard on me, okay?"

"Of course, Ms. Miller," JARVIS replied.

Ten minutes later and Evangeline was walking, more like stomping, into Tony's lab. She put her hands on her hips as her heels crunched on glass with all the broken things littering the floor. She saw Tony sitting in his hot rod, fully clad in his Iron Man suit.

She came up behind him slowly and reached out to put her hand on his metal shoulder.

Before Evangeline could blink Tony's metal hand was closed around hers. She stared at him, not sure if she should move or breathe. She looked at the glowing slits in his helmet and wondered if she should consider blinking again.

He held her hand so tightly that she was sure he could break it if he twitched.

"Tony," she whispered. Ev fought back a wince when she heard her voice crack.

The helmet slowly unfurled itself from Tony's head to reveal his haggard face, the skin under his eyes dark and drooping. The face she saw made tears rise in Evangeline's eyes and she gave a sharp intake of breath.

"You're not really here," he whispered hoarsely. He sounded like a dying frog. Tony let Ev's hand go, practically throwing it away as he stumbled out of the car and backed away from Evangeline.

"What?" Ev's brow furrowed. She reached for him on instinct but he stepped back, almost losing his balance. "Tony, it's me. I'm here. I'm back. I was just gone for a while."

"No," Tony shook his head, eyes wide and haunted. "Not gone." He pointed a metal finger at her. "You died. You're dead."

"Tony," Evangeline said gently. "It's me. I'm not dead." She spread her hands in a peaceful gesture. "One hundred percent alive."

Tony shook his head furiously, his mouth half open in horror. "No!" he shouted at her. Ev blinked in surprise, taking an involuntary step back. "You d-died because I couldn't save you!"

Evangeline realized Tony was crying. "No, sweetheart," she said softly. "It's me who can't seem to save you."

That statement threw Tony so much that his face stopped being so twisted to look just plain confused.

"What?" he choked out, the word escaping his mouth like a gasp.

Ev took her chance and closed the distance between them. "Let me save _you_," she said quietly, putting her hand on his stubbly cheek. "It's me, Tony. I'm here. I never died. I'm not going to die. And whatever you think you did it's _not_ your fault."

Evangeline watched the confusion roll like thunder clouds across his face. He looked like he wanted to doubt her so much. Was the truth that terrible?

A sound escaped Tony's mouth before he turned away, clanking to the center of the lab. Ev watched as machinery rose up and began taking his suit off. He wore jeans and a t-shirt underneath and Ev knew he was in desperate need for a shower.

"Tony," Ev began stepping towards him again.

Tony didn't answer. He just uncovered a half empty bottle of scotch and took a gulp.

"Get out," he said, so low and fast that Ev had to do a double take.

"Excuse me?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him. She walked up behind him and Tony turned further away.

"You heard me."

"Tony Stark don't you dare tell me to get out after what I just witnessed," Ev snapped indignantly.

Tony gave her a glance over his shoulder. "Get out," he repeated. "You shouldn't see me like this. You weren't _supposed _to see me like this."

"But I have and now I have to see you," Ev argued. "Don't I? Because these nightmares are my fault."

Tony didn't answer, but the gulp of scotch he took spoke volumes.

"Tony, do _not_ shut me out!" Ev said loudly, her hands balled up at her sides.

"Just go, Ev," Tony said quietly, sitting in his chair.

Evangeline took a deep breath and slowly unclenched her fists. "Tony, this is not your fault. You can't shut me out because you feel guilty. You won't even tell me what's going on! We need to work through it together. So that you'll stop... this." She waved her hand helplessly.

"No. _You_ stop," Tony said. The line in his shoulders was tight and his knuckles were white on the bottleneck. "I'll deal with this in whatever way I want. Even if that doesn't involve you."

That comment stung Ev more than she wanted it to, but she refused to budge. "You sound like a child, Tony! 'Whatever way you want'? Well I want to understand. To help. Why can't I?"

"I said, _GET OUT!_" Tony shouted, hurling his bottle at the door where it broke and left a crack.

Evangeline jumped at the sound as if it were a gunshot and stared at him.

Tony was standing, breathing hard with his eyes wide. Ev saw something crazed and desperate in them.

Evangeline felt tears rise in her eyes and she fought to swallow them down. She stepped back, feeling defeated. It was like Tony had physically thrown her out the door or fired a bullet into her stomach. She took a deep, shaky breath and turned, her feet crunching on the glass.

Ev clenched her fists again to keep the sobs from escaping her mouth. She felt her whole body shake. Ev had never had a family, let alone a solid relationship. And here was one that she knew she was falling into so happily and willingly, but instead it was falling apart on top of her.

She took one more deep breath and faced Tony again, the door at her back.

"You know sometimes I just-" Ev stopped, her throat closing up. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart. She heard Tony's feet crunch on glass.

"Ev," he said softly.

When Ev opened her eyes Tony was standing in front of her, his brown eyes large and apologetic.

"I just-" she tried to say again, but the sobs were coming up and she couldn't hold them back. "I-" she tried but her body shook so much that she just pressed her trembling lips together and held back the tears in her eyes.

"Ev, I-I'm so," Tony said hoarsely. "I'm just- I'm so-" His lips moved, forming words, but no sound came out of his mouth.

Ev felt something inside her just snap. She felt like running. "Just- _god_!"

Evangeline yanked the door behind her open and slammed it shut behind her, the glass rocking in the frame.

"Ev wait, I'm sorry!" Tony called after her, his voice scratchy. "Ev, wait!"

Evangeline kicked her heels off and sprinted away from Tony's lab. She took the elevator as far as it would go, stumbled out of it with tears falling and pulled herself up the steps to gain roof access.

She burst onto the roof, gulping air as she tripped her way to lean against the edge of the roof, wind pulling at her hair.

* * *

"JARVIS," Tony called.

After nearly shattering a bottle at Ev's head Tony had sobered up enough to know he had to go after her. He didn't want to be that type of man. The violent, alcoholic who hurt those gave their heart to him. He never wanted to be that. He didn't want that image to be the one Ev saw when her green eyes really looked at him, deep into who he really was.

"On the roof, sir."

Tony splashed water on his face and made his way up. All he wanted to do was to make sure Ev knew he'd never hurt her. He needed to make sure she knew that.

"Ev," Tony said loudly, his eyes scanned the roof for her.

Evangeline looked up from her spot, leaning against the ledge, a breeze wafting at her back.

"I'm sorry," Tony said. "I'm sorry. So sorry. I just- I'm sorry."

Ev crashed into Tony's arms and she found herself crying again.

"I'm sorry," Tony repeated over and over again until his voice cracked and broke on the words.

"Tony, shhh," Ev said softly, her fingers in his hair and on his cheek. "Shhh. It's all right. I'm fine."

"I'm not that guy," Tony choked out, Ev's hands on his face. "I'm not going to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you."

Tony's hands played at her temple, at the edge of her face. Both of them were so sleep deprived it felt like a soap opera.

"I just can't deal with some things that well," Tony said slowly. He ran a hand through his messy hair.

Evangeline let out a laugh, Tony's thumbs wiping her tears away. "Oh, what am I going to do with you?" she sighed.

They searched each other's eyes in that moment. Tony's expression was frantic and confused at the same time. Ev didn't know if she should bring up what had brought them to the roof in the first place.

"Let's get you some food and sleep," Ev said finally.

Tony quirked a feeble smile, glad that Ev wasn't pushing him. And Tony didn't want to push her. He never wanted to push her away.

"Can we try sleeping first?" he asked as they made their way downstairs to Tony's room. "I've missed you."

"I know," Ev said quietly, linking their arms together. "I missed you."

* * *

It was a bang up patch job and that was the truth.

Tony was stable, on all fronts, for nearly two weeks before he had another nightmare. And they could all agree that it was the worst one yet.

Tony had woken in a cold sweat and when Ev sat in front of him, trying to stop his whimpering, his eyes didn't focus on her. He had scrambled out of her hold as soon as he felt Ev's tears on his skin. Those were Tony's triggers, his wake up calls. He hated when she saw this side of him.

He had slipped from Evangeline's fingers like a ghost.

Everyone had tried to stop him. Even Thor, who was visiting, boomed at Tony and stepped in his path.

"Tony!" Steve said, using his Captain America tone. "Stop."

"Stark," Clint dropped to his feet from the ceiling in front of the elevator. "Stop. Turn around. _Talk _to her."

Tony pushed past the archer.

"Tony I consider you a brother," Thor said fiercely as Tony slapped the elevator button. "This is not the way to handle things! It does not please me to see you hurting. Why do you not let your Evangeline help?"

"Stay out of this guys," Tony said as the elevator dinged. He dragged a hand over his face and sighed. "She deserves better. Try not to smash any of my doors."

Evangeline had to do a lot of calming to convince Thor to keep Mjolnir away from the glass doors of Tony's lab. Several times JARVIS warned them of Tony's alcohol levels. Clint always went down to take the drinks away. Tony locked them out as soon as Ev, Bruce, or Natasha got the doors unlocked.

* * *

Evangeline slowly walked into Tony's lab a week after he had fled from her arms. She had left for a day and a half to do SHIELD business after a terrible cycle of breaking Tony's walls and him rebuilding them. She was starting to get tired.

She was wearing jeans and a hoodie Tony barely recognized as his. He swivelled in his chair to look at her. There were soldering goggles on his head a screwdriver in his right hand, glass of scotch in his left.

"You were gone for a while," Tony commented.

"I could say the same about you," Ev raised an eyebrow. She crossed her arms over her chest as she stood in front of Tony. "Have you slept at all?"

"Caught a few occasional hours," Tony said.

Neither of them really moved. They just stared at each other, waiting for a reaction.

Ev was the first to move. "We can't keep doing this," she said softly, searching Tony's eyes for an answer.

"I know," he whispered, putting his tools down.

"Why won't you talk about it?"

Tony rubbed his eyes. "I-I can't. It's too painful."

Ev felt so torn by the fact that she couldn't help Tony. It wasn't just the fact that he didn't want her to help, but she was also a bit lost when it came to _how _she could help.

"Can I talk then?" Evangeline asked cautiously.

Tony didn't answer.

Ev leaned against a work table across from him. "You mentioned losing Yinsen, a friend. You were kidnapped and that means tortured," she said softly. "What else can you tell me?"

"I was betrayed," Tony volunteered quietly. "A man I thought was my best friend paid to have me kidnapped. I trusted him with my company, my life. He killed so many innocent people."

"When Stark Industries used to manufacture weapons," Ev said.

They looked away from each other. Ev tapped a hand on her pants and Tony picked up his scotch again.

"Will you come upstairs?" Evangeline asked tentatively.

Tony tapped a finger on the edge of his glass, swishing the scotch in his mouth.

"I have food," she coaxed. "Just finished cooking. It's pasta."

Tony met Ev's eyes and gave her a soft smile. "In a few minutes," he decided.

Evangeline almost didn't want to leave but Tony was already shutting her out.

* * *

Ev was pissed, to say the least, when she barged in on Tony again, this time with a covered plate of pasta.

"A few minutes?" she asked, setting the plate down in front of him with a clang. The pasta was long cold and put away. What she brought Tony were leftovers from three days ago. He had locked her out, changed her code, and made the override ridiculously complicated.

"Did some tinkering," Tony shrugged. At least the scotch was gone.

Evangeline clenched and unclenched her fists, taking deep breaths. It had been nearly three weeks of Tony's nightmares, of him being deserted and literally locking her out of his life.

"Tony," Ev sighed. "I'm running out of tactics. We can't keep going like this."

Tony pushed away from his desk and looked at her with an exasperated expression.

Ev put a hand to her forehead to quiet the pounding there and to keep from yelling at her boyfriend. "You helped me with my nightmares," she pointed out. "Why can't I help with yours?"

Tony shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Ev tried to plead with him but he just wouldn't meet her eyes.

"God, Tony," Ev sighed. "You need to open up." She grabbed Tony's chair and forced him to face her. "I'm trying, okay? But I don't have much to go on. I'm trying to love all of you, Tony, but I'm starting to feel as lost as you are!"

Tony refused to look at Ev. He could feel it coming. She was going to walk out. She going to prove him right. And yet, deep down, it wasn't what he wanted.

Maybe he didn't want to be saved. Maybe he wanted Ev to always be oblivious to his nightmares. But what Tony wanted and what he got were always two different things.

Evangeline stared at Tony, feeling frustrated and so god damn _helpless_. Everything she hated, all in her for the past three weeks.

"Our relationship is a good one, Tony," Ev reminded him. "We don't have to be stuck here forever."

Tony met her eyes with an expression that practically asked for the challenge Ev was setting. He was being stubborn to avoid his feelings and Ev could see it, plain as day. She pursed her lips at him.

"If this is how it's going to be-" she stopped, shaking her head and throwing up a hand in exasperation. She didn't want to sound angry, but he made it so hard to be calm. "Tony, something has to change!"

Tony looked at her again, tears rising in his throat. He felt tired and looked beaten.

"I can't," he choked out. "I just- I can't. Not with you. Never with you. This wasn't meant to be shared with you."

Evangeline looked at him sadly, putting her fingers to his cheek. She chewed her bottom lip and then stepped away with a slow exhale. She paced in front of him, one hand in her hair, the other on her hip.

"You know Tony I really can't-" Ev caught herself again and took a deep breath. She stood in front of him, wanting nothing more than to envelop Tony in a hug and feel his kiss again. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked deep into his eyes.

"Listen to me Tony Stark and remember this, if anything at all," Ev instructed. Her green eyes were clear, but she felt like falling apart. "You're worthy of everything the world has to offer. And don't tell me you don't want to be saved because you know what? You _deserve_ to be saved. You are _good_, Tony." Evangeline's hand was on his face again, searching his vulnerable eyes.

"But I can't live a life with you if it's going to be like this," Ev said quietly.

_As empty as this_, Tony couldn't help thinking. _Something has to change_, Ev's voice echoed in his head.

"You need time," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Call me when you're ready, okay?" Evangeline's nose brushed his stubbly cheek. "I'll always miss you," she said. Ev gave Tony a soft, lingering kiss, memorizing his feel and warmth.

Then she turned away, taking deep breaths as Tony just sat there. She pulled off the sweater she had on to reveal a tank top. She set it on his work table and stopped at the door.

"Goodbye, Tony," Evangeline said softly.

She left the lab, grabbed her things from Tony's drawers, scrawled a note to the Avengers who had become her friends, taped it to the door of the fridge, and walked out of Stark Tower.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Don't hate me for writing this chapter. It gets better after this, I promise!

100 Suns by 30 Seconds to Mars

"I believe in nothing  
Not the end and not the start  
I believe in nothing  
Not the earth and not the stars  
I believe in nothing  
Not the day and not the dark  
I believe in nothing  
But the beating of our hearts

I believe in nothing  
100 suns until we part  
I believe in nothing  
Not in Satan, not in God  
I believe in nothing  
Not in peace and not in war  
I believe in nothing  
But the truth in who we are."

P.S.: I had some song inspiration via 30 Seconds to Mars a few weeks ago and, while I don't have a plot, I'm thinking a potential Clintasha fic is in order.


	11. You Could Have It So Much Better

Tony's fellow Avengers helped sober him up. He wasn't afraid to admit he had had several pow wows with Bruce and Clint. Tony had even gone to Steve once. Each of them knew nightmares and old haunts of the past. It turns out that Natasha gave amazing relationship advice. And Thor told Tony stories of all the times he handled fights with Jane.

He threw all the scotch and alcohol out. He let the two master assassins keep their alcohol just in case they suddenly decided to go all assassinate mode on him if he tried to throw it away.

That had taken about two weeks.

Tony thought about Ev constantly. He played the conversation over and over in his head, trying to stick to Ev's instructions. If she was giving him time then he was going to take advantage of it.

The universe decided to be coincidental and give the Avengers a mission as soon as Tony was stable. It wasn't too hard on them. Tony was getting used to the whole superhero team thing. The current invading enemy was no Chitauri, but more human based. Still, they gave the Avengers a light beating.

Tony sported a dislocated shoulder at the SHIELD debriefing meeting a few days after the mission. He hadn't seen Ev in almost a month and he was ready to get started on his plan to get her back. Of course, he had to find her first.

He questioned Agent Hill, who argued that she couldn't tell him anything since he wasn't Ev's husband. That fact made him cringe, but he was ready to be a private jet that Ev wasn't away on SHIELD business.

Tony was proved right when the Avengers did a press release and Stark Industries had a press conference the same day and he didn't see Evangeline at either of them.

Tony had asked Fury where Ev was, but the director of SHIELD had regarded him with one eye and pointed out that he and the Avengers didn't need a babysitter anymore.

He confronted Director Fury later that day, after finishing his press conference, demanding to know where he could find Evangeline. A lot of her information about her whereabouts and appointments were inaccessible through JARVIS. Ev didn't leave her schedule on any Stark devices or computers and she had never taken the Stark phone Tony had offered her since she insisted hers was perfectly fine. In short, Tony was running out of options for information.

Fury regarded him with such passivity when Tony had showed up that he was afraid Fury wouldn't answer.

"She took a visiting professor position at the University of London," Fury informed him. He sounded as if he just wanted Tony to get out of his non-existent hair. "Lectures for a few weeks. She ends her tenure in a few days."

Tony had left the second Fury finished, throwing a "thanks" over his shoulder. He could sense the note Ev ahd left him in his pocket. He had almost thrown it away when he saw it taped to the fridge with a list of recipients, but Bruce had stopped him so that the rest of the Avengers could read it.

The paper was smooth against his fingers in his pocket. Tony took his private jet.

* * *

The travel time from La Guardia to Heathrow was nothing terrible, but Tony felt like he was going to explode if he didn't stop going over everything that had led to this in his head. The images, starting from Ev's face after he had thrown the bottle to his own eyes reading her note, were on his mind constantly. Tony mostly fiddled on his tablet, made omelettes, and dwelled on the past month over and over on the flight.

He felt a lot of regret and guilt, those were the easiest feelings for Tony to sort out. Everything else buzzed through him like some fierce swarm of wasps and all the other feelings he didn't want to name competed with his guilt for dominance.

Tony didn't know whether to shout "I'm sorry" or "I love you" when he eventually saw Evangeline. The second scared him as soon as it popped into his head. He didn't know if he loved his girlfriend; he had been questioning that title for her ever since she had walked out. Did he even have the right to think of her that way anymore?

Tony couldn't really deny it. His split with Pepper hit him harder than he expected it to. He knows he was lucky as hell when Ev came along, and even luckier when she came and didn't leave. But all of this kept surprising Tony. He always felt like running away and then running back, because when it came to his feelings Tony wasn't very sure at all. He had had some practice with Pepper, but whenever he thought about that he couldn't help but sarcastically think "_Look how well that worked out." _

Did he love Ev? Tony could feel it rising in his chest, the feeling that he got seeing Ev making coffee for him and in his kitchen making breakfast and handing him a cup of coffee with a kiss. So right and so at home. As if she already had a permanent place in his home as well as his heart and deep down he really didn't mind.

Tony knows how broken each of them are and how much fixing both of them need. He felt pretty willing to love everything that she was, at least he was pretty sure he already did. But every time the thought came up Tony couldn't help but shy away from it. After all, he had to get her back first. And then there was the uncertainty if she even felt the same way. If there was one thing Tony Stark perpetually hated it was uncertainty.

When the Stark Industries jet landed in Heathrow Tony wasted no time settling himself into the Savoy (what else could you expect from Tony Stark?) and getting a head start on his Ev hunting. He found a page in the Department of International Relations section of the University of London's website. It didn't exactly give her lecture schedule, but did the standard bio, said how long she was staying and which lecture hall to find her in. Tony downloaded a map of the University and pinpointed Ev's lecture hall with a red circle.

Tony surprised himself with his reluctance to see her right away. What was he going to do? Say to her? Should he get her flowers? Was that too cheesy?

After some time of frantic thinking Tony dragged a hand over his face and decided that he was absolutely terrible at this. He grabbed his room key, Stark phone, shoved a tablet in his back pocket, put sunglasses on his head and walked out of the hotel. He needed to take a walk and think things through.

* * *

Evangeline was getting used to being addressed as Professor or Dr. Miller all over again. She had never been called professor but the doctor was familiar enough. She tried to stay away from the science, physics, and engineering departments since any mention of pistons or particles reminded her of Tony. The campus was beautiful and she loved London as a city, but it was nothing without Tony's fingers intertwined with hers and his warmth at her side. Her mind was occupied most of the time, but when she wasn't in class and simply sitting in the apartment the university so happily gave her, she thought of Tony constantly.

She felt right in the decision to give him time. Ev just didn't see how he could heal if the sight of her was what caused all the tension, his nightmares, that haunted look in his soft brown eyes. She was tired of seeing him fall apart. It was a good decision for both of them.

Still, it took a few days for her to actually convince herself of that.

Ev tried to stay away from the deep, depressing thoughts but whenever she thought of what was and could have been coupled with the lack of Tony in her life, well she couldn't help it. She always had herself but she fell harder for Tony and the life he gave her than she cared to admit.

Evangeline thinks back to SHIELD and why she chose that life after having a pretty good diplomatic and scientific career. She hates to even consider it, but SHIELD depending on her and calling her in made her feel needed. It was a place where people didn't just ask for her help or her mind, but also asked for her opinion and kept track of her _all_ the time. It was like having a distant aunt or cousin who constantly worried about you and invited you over for tea on a regular schedule. It was twisted in its own way, which is why Ev loved avoiding the thought at all costs.

She'd never loved anyone so much as Tony, that Ev knows for a fact and isn't ashamed to consider. Evangeline is the kind of person who forgets about herself and does things for other people. Because that's what she knows: taking orders from other people. Ev did a lot of reasoning and self examination in her free time away from Tony, SHIELD, and Stark Tower. Her desire to follow tangents and fix what is broken is why she made it her personal mission to fix him when she saw his broken side. She loves him and what he can become. Ev doesn't know how to fix herself but she knows how to fix everyone else, how to fix the world. Because it's been her job for a majority of her life.

Evangeline takes walks in parks and visits Notting Hill and Covent Garden in her spare time. Much of what she thinks about, how and why she needed to give Tony space, are what she wrote in her letter to him. She hopes that he read all of it and gave his fellow Avengers their parts. She encouraged Bruce to be more open to Steve. The two were a working relationship, but she knew Bruce was afraid to let Steve in even more. She wrote to Natasha and Clint as one, thanking both of them for everything and wishing them every happiness. She wrote to Thor with a lot of jokes and suggestions of places to go and things to do to have a good time whenever he visited New York. Ev thanked all of them, for everything they had done. It wasn't goodbye, she decided when she wrote the letters, it was a reminder that she would be back.

That is, if they would have her.

* * *

Tony took his time exploring the University of London campus, making sure to pick the right one, and poking his nose around London. He rode the London Eye out of nothing better to do and sorely wished that he could have shared it with Ev in the moment that his car rose over the city. He snooped around her lecture hall, hoping and dreading a glimpse of her at the same time. Tony sat in on a lecture that wasn't hers but in the same hall, taking it all in from the back. He hadn't been to college in years and it was like a terrible case of deja vu.

He could have sworn he spotted the back of her head, ponytail swinging, as he crossed campus but he didn't follow. Tony wasn't sure if he was ready for that. The night before his decided day to confront her, which was strategically her final lecture, Tony felt antsy and nervous. Was this what nervous school boys and freshly graduated college boys felt like before they asked a girl out? Tony's memory skipped past a lot of his childhood, but he never remembered a nervous feeling. He was Tony Stark: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Where were the school girl butterflies coming from? It had been relatively natural with Pepper, a push and pull over control, sanity, and fun, but they had known each other. There was the uncertainty again.

Deep down, Tony knew that his need, want and possible love for Evangeline would shove all those stupid butterflies away to the wind.

He sat in on her lecture, placing himself in the back where he wouldn't attract any attention. It wasn't that difficult, the whole place was full. As if he expected anything less. Why wouldn't Ev be popular with her students?

Tony felt his chest tighten several times as he listened to the lecture. He made a point never to look down at her and fiddled on his tablet most of the time. But he couldn't stop her voice, all the mellow tones and the touches of excitement as she told tales and taught lessons, from making it feel like someone was poking the arc reactor with a metal rod.

He felt a bit relieved when she said her goodbyes, received a standing ovation, and the students slowly filtered out. Tony stayed in his seat until the steps had cleared and then made his way down to the center of the large hall. The last few students were at the bottom, giving their professor congratulations and leaving contact information.

Ev heard his feet approach and a response was out of her mouth before she even looked at him.

"Did you have a question?" she asked, but the words died on her lips when she saw him standing there. "Tony," she breathed quietly.

Evangeline eyes were torn between raking and swallowing Tony whole in her gaze. She had missed him so much that she felt frozen. His hair was tousled, stubble gone, a nervous smile on his lips. How she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him until she ran out of breath.

"Uh, yeah," Tony said, his hands in his pockets. He shuffled his feet and looked at the floor before looking back up at her. His mind went blank and then filled with a million thoughts before on just tumbled out. "Why didn't you prove me wrong?"

Ev's brow furrowed and she crossed her arm over her chest. She fought back the urge to shake her head to clear it as she regained her bearings. She had asked Tony a question, she remembered. And he had responded with another one.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need a little bit more context." Her eyes were back to studying him, like when they did when they first met. She saw how much he had changed in the month they were apart. He was steadier, cleaner, and looked like he stood with a lighter step.

"Everybody always leaves," Tony said. He didn't want to say more, he could feel his voice getting ready to crack. This wasn't how he imagined their reunion, but this was the direction it was taking and he was going to run with it. "Why did you?"

Ev sighed, remembering everything she had written to him. "Because I was ruining you, Tony," she said. She looked at him like a lost puppy, one that she is so eager to save. That gaze made Tony's chest tighten.

"I saw your faults and fears and I wanted to help with them because that's what I'm good at. I'm good at fixing things. I'm good at taking orders to do things for other people." Evangeline tucked some hair behind her ear and swept some over her shoulder. "I wanted to help you," she went on. "I wanted to love you." She paused and gave him a look that was between want and desperation. "But you wouldn't let me. You needed to be alone with yourself, without me constantly staring into your soul."

Tony looked at her, unable to blink. She gave him a knowing nod.

"I've seen your face when I look at you, and I mean really _look_," she said. "You put up a mask the first time we met. The first time I tried to understand what was going on in your head."

Evangeline looked like she wanted to take a step forward, but then thought better of it. Tony sorely wished she hadn't thought about it. He wanted to close the distance between them.

"I wanted you to be free of me for a little bit, to sort yourself out," she explained. "So that when you were ready, you could come to me."

There was silence as they stared at each other, Ev with an apologetic and encouraging smile, Tony with a blank face while his mind raced at a hundred miles an hour.

"You made me do a bit of hunting," Tony said finally. He was done processing. He decided. He's better and he knows it. He wants to her back and he doesn't want her to leave ever again.

The corners of Ev's mouth rose and Tony matched her smile.

"Sorry to hear that," she said, finally taking a step closer to him.

"Hi," he said. Tony felt it click, the unspoken understanding that they have and that he loves. Their rhythm is beginning again. "Sorry I took so long. I'm a slow learner at these things."

"It's okay," Ev smiled. "I think you're doing a pretty good job for a genius. And I heard you were beating up some bad guys. That's a good excuse."

Tony twitched his healing shoulder. It was still tender and no longer in a sling, but on the mend. Like him and Ev. Like his heart. Maybe things would get better.

His fingers reached out but his arm didn't leave his side. All of a sudden the guilt he had been avoiding comes back. Tony looked away from her for a moment before dragging his eyes back to hers.

"But not for how I handled things," he said quietly. He hears the vulnerability in his voice and cringes away from it. "I-I'll tell you everything and _give_ you everything. I just-"

Evangeline quieted him, hugging him gently and kissing his cheek. Tony's mind goes blissfully blank when he feels her arms close around his body again.

"Shh," she whispered. "You're here, that's what matters now. You don't need to spill your heart to me right this second. There's so much in you, Tony. So much good and trauma and life and _heart_. If you gave it all to me right this second we'd probably both drown." Both of them cracked a smile. "I'll give you time," she said softly, giving him another kiss. "You're ready, _that's_ everything. Anything can come later."

"You could have it so much better," Tony realized in a whisper. He finds himself still waiting to be proved wrong. There's still a chance all of this would backfire. He knows Ev will always have a reason and a chance to walk away again.

"When are you going to get it in your head?" Ev asked, taking his hand. Her eyes probed his face, his eyes, her gaze so loving and open that Tony wants to bolt. "This is me proving you wrong," she whispered back.

Their noses touch and Tony's hands finally rise and run themselves through her hair. He finally smiles, a wide one and presses their foreheads together, his hands moving to her hips. He longs to envelop her in his arms again, to have her body molded against his. He misses her kiss and her touch and the feel of her breath on his skin.

"I want you," she assured him. "You're the best for me. You make my world better."

"I've missed you," Tony sighed into her shoulder, hugging her tightly and burying his face in her neck. She still smells like lavender and vanilla but there's a hint of chalk and book paper.

"I always miss you," Evangeline whispered, smoothing his tousled hair and hugging him tightly.

* * *

They spent a week after Ev's tenure ended, taking their time and patching up in London. They talked things out and Tony didn't have any nightmares. He felt so much better sleeping next to Ev again.

In the early days of her absence from Stark Tower and his life, Tony had taken to sleeping on the couch because it had less room and didn't remind him so much of the person he was missing. Evangeline was right when she told him he had a really big bed.

Tony explained as much of his nightmares and Afghanistan as he could at a time. He told her of Rhodey, Happy and Pepper. They talked of the Avengers and SHIELD. Ev told him of her childhood, her family and what had happened. She explained a lot of her history, filling in the holes in her personal life that Tony had been missing. Tony eventually told her a little of his father and mother and their car accident. He didn't like talking about the Stark legacy and his father, but Ev was comforting and a good listener.

It was like an even trade between two countries. Each time they spoke and told each other their stories they found themselves better off.

When Tony and Evangeline weren't talking they went out and explored the city together. Tony hardly got the chance to properly explore the cities he visited. He saw London in a new light with Ev's hand in his. He got his turn on the London Eye with Evangeline's head on his chest and his arms around her waist.

And of course, when they weren't talking or sightseeing and indulging in all that London had to offer, they were making great affirmation to the saying that makeup sex is the best kind of sex.

Tony and Evangeline happily explored every solid surface in Tony's massive hotel suite. Tony had sorely missed his girlfriend's body and his resting sex drive was more than happy to start its engine again.

_"You know I thought reporters shouted my name enough," Tony told her one night between when there was a pause in one of their adventures. _

_ The two of them lay side by side in the king bed of Tony's suite, catching their breaths with the water droplets from their most recent shower escapade still dripping from their bare shoulders. _

_ "But you seriously give them a run for their money."_

_ Evangeline had whacked him in the face with a pillow and thrown another at his head._

* * *

When they returned to New York the Avengers in Stark Tower were happy to see them return together. When Tony and Ev greeted them Thor was the first to boom hello and introduce Evangeline to Jane. Ev was happy to see Steve's arm around Bruce's waist and Nat sitting in Clint's lap as the archer perched himself on the back of the couch.

Tony smiled warmly at everyone, acutely aware of those whom he had come to think of as family grinning back at him and Ev's hand in his.

_Yes_, Tony Stark decided as Thor whacked him on the back in a friendly pat and Evangeline's laugh filled his ears. _This was going to work out just fine._

* * *

Author's Notes:

You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand (look at that - TITLE DROP!)

"The last message you sent  
said I looked really down  
that I oughta come over  
and talk about it  
well I wasn't down  
I just wasn't smiling at you  
as I look at us now it seems  
that you're slapping my back  
as if it's alright  
but its not.

I'm trying to get up  
but you're pushing me down  
so I'll get up on my own

Well I'm just a voice in your earpieces  
telling you no  
it's not alright  
you know you could have it so much better  
you could have it so much better  
if you tried."

R&R if you want. Thanks for reading!


	12. You and I, Part 1

Tony and Evangeline, either subconsciously or completely on purpose, put everything they had into being as inseparable as humanly possible. Tony wasn't about to let Ev walk away from him again. The Avengers were settling into what was slowly becoming a more domestic life. The two master assassins took the occasional mission. Steve started helping out at children centers and hospitals when they didn't have missions. Bruce had a partnership with a group of scientists that were on the verge of a great scientific breakthrough that was supposed to change the face of sustainable energy. Their lives were changing and sometimes Tony and Ev liked to hold hands, stand still and watch it all rush past the two of them.

Tony, after Pepper had more or less told him through ways of dropped hints here and there, finally took the signal for some initiative and let Pepper free herself of Stark Industries to move on with Rhodey. The two of them got married shortly after Pepper found a talent in curating and took up a position at the Guggenheim after no longer being obligated to practically run Stark Industries.

Evangeline felt like she was floating in those months after she and Tony reunited and began living together in New York. She still kept her apartment, she loved it too much to put it on the market and she just hadn't gotten around to cleaning it out. People in the scientific and diplomatic community still knew her name. So why, she asked herself one afternoon on Stark Tower's balcony, did she feel like she was sitting around doing nothing?

Tony and Ev came up with a solution together. The following day Tony sat Ev down at his desk in his lab officially hired her to help him run the company. He had complete faith in his girlfriend and they already made such a good team so Tony thought: why the hell not? She'd just end up keeping him in check as much as she did in their regular life anyway.

Six months flew by. Three missions. One emotional panic attack on Tony's part because in the middle of a dinner date in an extremely overpriced restaurant with Evangeline he realized that he wanted to marry her, and for real this time. Tony Stark actually had trouble processing the thought, and therefore breathing. Evangeline, so beautiful in the low lighting and warm glow from the candle on their table, had asked him if he was okay and Tony had managed to pass it off as the particular bite he had taken being really spicy.

Tony felt like he was in a bit of a disarray in the days after that revelation. He would sit in his lab, unable to focus on the work he was doing, and think hard about what in the world was going on with his head. A part of him kept trying to check if he was nuts while the other side was rooting for him to spring up right then and buy a ring. Tony fidgeted with his hands as he sat there, brow furrowed, and pushed himself in a circle on his revolving stool.

"What do you think, JARVIS?" Tony asked aloud, deferring to his last resort. He wasn't particularly focused on anything, but the memories that he and Ev had built in their time together were playing in his head. "If I asked Evangeline to marry me, would she say yes?"

"I'm sorry sir, I don't understand why you're asking me this question," JARVIS actually sounded hesitant.

Tony let out a sigh of frustration and rubbed his eyes. "Seriously JARVIS, just answer the question."

"I don't see why not, sir," the AI system replied.

Tony blinked, opening his eyes and let out his breath in a slow exhale. "All right," he clapped his hands together and checked the time. "JARVIS, what time does Cartier close?"

* * *

Now that their missions were slowing down in number, Fury had the Avengers strategically promoting the acceptance of superheroes by having them attend a special gala event in Paris. While it was tedious, none of them were really complaining about being in the City of Light and Love.

Evangeline confirmed the knowledge that Tony spoke fluent French, something she had read about him long ago. It was fun to say things in French, especially for Tony to tease Steve and Bruce, that is until Natasha responded back and killed his buzz with a smirk.

The gala was good fun and even Thor behaved. He didn't like champagne very much after he accidentally snorted some of the bubbly drink up his big Asgardian nose, but other than that everything went well. He had taken the four month pregnant Jane along and she was one happy camper and spent a lot of the evening talking with Evangeline. The eight of them had gone their separate ways after the gala had ended and Tony and Ev had opted to steal away to walk through Montmartre.

Tony felt good, ridiculously good, as he and Ev walked hand in hand on cobblestone. The sun had set hours ago and the streets still had people walking by, but to him it was just Evangeline and her slender fingers between his. The weight of the red Cartier box bumped against his side as it sat in his suit jacket pocket and a lump started to form in Tony's throat. He stole a glance at Ev and the sight he saw made him feel like the arc reactor was acting up and giving him palpitations.

Evangeline's neck and collarbone were exposed from the strapless deep, almost wine colored, dress she wore (that Tony had insisted on). Her dark hair was hoisted midway up her head in some elegant twist that left curls swinging between her shoulders and brushing the top of her spine. Paris just had to have equally fancy street lamps that bathed Ev in a light her skin just seemed to soak up. Her face was stuck in a permanent smile and she kept looking up, her head swivelling a few inches to the left and right to take it all in.

Tony adjusted their fingers and Evangeline's gaze shifted to his. Tony smiled back on instinct as his hand tightened around hers. Could he do it? Tony managed to swallow and was glad for the distraction of music coming from a cafe door.

"Oh," Ev breathed. She looked at Tony and then glanced back at the warm light spilling out of the doorway. "Is that?"

Tony listened carefully as their pace slowed and he heard what her smile gave away. It sounded a lot like an instrumental slow jazz version of 'I've Got You Under My Skin.'

"Here," Tony said quietly, drawing Ev closer and stepping onto the sidewalk. "Let's dance."

Evangeline let out a soft laugh, putting her hand on Tony's shoulder as he placed his on her waist. They danced in a slow circle with no space between them. Ev brushed her nose against Tony's cheek, a hum echoing in her throat as she sang the song under her breath. Tony had never heard her sing before, but it didn't sound half bad.

"Da da dum," he hummed with pompous ceremony, giving Ev an impromptu twirl that he executed with a grin while she spun back, laughing into his chest.

Ev looked up at him, her whole face so happy that Tony kissed her right then and there. She just didn't stop, smiling as she kissed him back, and smiling after she pulled away.

"You're in a peppy mood," she commented when Tony matched her grin for a few seconds.

Tony made a face. "Mmm, no," he shook his head once as they continued dancing. "Never use 'peppy' to describe me."

Evangeline laughed again. "Happy, then."

"Ah," Tony smiled. "That I can deal with. Happy."

Her hands drifted up his shoulders, fingers threading themselves through his hair. "Hmm," she murmured, her eyes tracing his face as a little smile played on her lips. "Good," she said quietly, leaning a few inches forward to bring their lips together again.

Tony decided. In the moment that Ev's lips were on his and his hands were around her waist and on her back with her arm around his neck pulling them closer together, Tony Stark decided. He wanted to marry Evangeline Miller, and whole heartedly, not in some three second realization but in the way that he had fretted and thought about it for weeks. He was right, not deranged, when he had scooted his way over to Cartier one afternoon for a private consultation and bought the custom engagement ring.

"Hold that thought," he mumbled, separating their lips and looking into Ev's questioning eyes.

"What is it?" she asked.

The song still played softly in the background. Tony pulled her close to dance again. They revolved slowly, the song slowing to its end. Tony looked around, the warm summer wind blowing leaves across the cobblestone and Ev's face studying him in the light.

"I've decided something," he said slowly. Tony cursed himself for not thinking this part through. He had no idea how to even start these things.

Evangeline looked at him, waiting patiently for him to finish.

"Actually, just hold on while I think about what to say after that," Tony said hurriedly, waving it away with a shake of his head.

"Tony!" Ev whacked him on the chest with her palm, an indignant look on her face.

Tony looked at her, a smile ready to break from her open lips. They had stopped turning and as Ev stared at him she suddenly started laughing. Tony smiled as he felt the laugh vibrate through her body, something he could feel through his hands as he held her frame.

"Will you marry me?"

Evangeline's face froze mid-laugh and she stared at him, traces of a smile in her eyes as she blinked. "Wh-what?" she breathed, looking at Tony as if she had heard him wrong.

Tony just met her eyes with a look that told her yes, he had actually said what she had heard. _Don't make me say it again_, Tony couldn't help thinking._ It was terrifying enough the first time._

Ev stared at him for what felt like an eternity, each of them holding the other, before Evangeline threw her arms around Ton's neck and kissed him deeply and repeatedly.

"Ev," Tony chuckled as she kept on kissing him. A huge wave of relief washed over him. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes," she murmured over and over again, kissing his cheeks, his nose, his lips. "God, yes," she sighed and settled on his lips after that.

"I'm going to need you to stop kissing me so I can put a ring on your finger," Tony managed to get out between kisses.

Evangeline finally relented, pulling back with a blush on her cheeks and a sheepish smile on her face. Tony smiled back, feeling like he could burst as he pulled the box from his tuxedo pocket.

Tony held the red box in his hand and Ev unwound her arms from his neck to watch as his fingers (which hopefully weren't trembling) opened the box.

"Oh," Evangeline breathed as the ring came into view. It was a beautiful platinum thing, with a diamond in the center and smaller diamonds running halfway down both sides of the band. "Are those?" she asked, her finger reaching out but not daring to touch as she realized those smaller diamonds were alternating ruby and yellow topaz stones. She gave Tony a look and he grinned back.

"Sorry, I just need to hear it one more time," Tony said, taking the ring out of its resting place. "Will you?"

Evangeline kissed Tony on the lips, grabbing the lapels of his tuxedo jacket and deepening the kiss before pulling back. "Yes," she whispered. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you supposed to get down on one knee?"

Tony raised an eyebrow back at her. "Not in this tux, honey."

"You're impossible," Ev laughed and put an excited hand over her mouth as Tony slid the ring on her left ring finger.

"But you love me anyway," Tony smiled as he gently played with her hand, his fingers twining with hers.

"Why yes, Mr. Stark, I believe I do," Ev replied with a teasing smile and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Tony smiled at her, kissing her on the lips before saying: "I thought we agreed the use of 'Mr. Stark' was punishable by sex." He raised an eyebrow at her.

Evangeline gave him a peck on the lips before winking and traipsing a few steps out of his reach.

"By all means, Mr. Stark," she said, her warm voice being carried by the breeze. It made Tony shiver with want. She held her hands out like she was waiting for shackles and smirked at him. Tony caught her hands in his and tugged her to his chest. "I'll take my punishment willingly."

"That's two on your rap sheet for tonight," Tony warned as he hooked his arm around her waist, joining them at the hip as they walked back the way they had come. "You're turning out to be quite naughty."

Ev shrugged. "I don't think I'm very sorry about that," she said with a sigh.

Tony looked at her out of the corner of his eye, daring her to say it.

Ev met his eyes with a mischievous glint in her eyes and a sassy tilt to her mouth. "_Mr. Stark_," she drawled.

Tony shook his head, pulling her off her feet to spin them as he placed nibbles and kisses along her bare neck and collarbone while Evangeline held onto his shoulders, laughing into the cold night air.

_Oh yes_, Tony thought as he brought her down, their foreheads touching as she stole kisses from his smiling lips. _He was marrying the right woman._

* * *

Paris turned out to be Evangeline's favorite city. So it was only natural and fitting that they have the wedding there. For Tony's standards it was small, but it was what Ev wanted. He had been a ball of terrified happiness when he realized he could call Ev his fiancée. There was a fact that Tony was okay with dealing with, that and the number of women who greatly mourned his engagement. It made him feel a bit better and more secure that this was the right decision, that he wasn't going crazy, even if Evangeline had glared at him when he laughed with a little too much delight at the news report.

They made sure to invite the people that mattered and keep the party small enough. That is, only so many people could fit beneath the four pillars of the Eiffel Tower, but of course they made it work. Yes, that's right, the Eiffel Tower. Tony couldn't believe it either, when Evangeline had made two requests of him: the first that the wedding be unforgettable and the second that it be in Paris. Tony Stark really couldn't think of anything more unforgettable or more Parisian than that.

It was a high security and highly fenced event, but the huge white canopy-like curtains that were strung from the metal pillars of each side of the tower's base hid the wedding party extremely well. Evangeline walked down the aisle with a Parisian sunset making all of the white canopies go gold as they parted to let the bride through.

Thor, who loved weddings because they meant feasts, was the first to volunteer to accompany Evangeline down the aisle in place of a father that neither Ev or Tony had. Tony had convinced their Asgardian friend to stand among the groomsmen because Tony _absolutely_ needed his support. Bruce was more than happy to hand Evangeline to Tony and then take his place behind Rhodey, who was the best man.

Evangeline and Tony said their vows and "I do's" as the sun dipped away. They grinned at each other, Ev in a flowing Vera Wang wedding dress and Tony looking absolutely dashing in his wedding tux. Tony felt Rhodey give him a pat on the back after he finished kissing his newly wedded wife and faced the crowd with a grin and her hand in his. He gave a wink to his best friend, smiled at Bruce, Steve, Thor and Happy standing next to him and got ready for their next wedding surprise.

Ev took her bouquet back from Natasha, who had acted as maid of honor, and kissed each of her bridesmaids: Pepper, Agent Maria Hill, and Jane on the cheek before following Tony to the yellow car that waited to begin their journey to the third landing on the Eiffel Tower and from there they would go to the top.

They stopped on the first landing where Ev did her bouquet toss. Natasha, ever the acrobat, caught the bouquet and when she landed, grinning on the ground as she held it over her head to let Ev know she caught it, Clint swooped by and took it from her outstretched hand.

"Payback!" the archer grinned as Nat tackled him to the ground in her bridesmaid's dress.

They ended up with Clint piggybacking Nat who held the bouquet in her hand.

"I tried to catch it," Clint insisted. "But Nat beat me to it."

The fiery haired master assassin whacked Clint upside the head, albeit lightly, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

They shared a round of laughs, on the ground and from above, before Ev and Tony continued to the highest observation deck, from which they had to climb to the third landing and shared their second kiss as a married couple.

Tony watched, his arm around Ev's waist, as the city lit up beneath them. Evangeline placed a soft kiss on Tony's cheek and leaned into his side.

"You know that really is something," Tony murmured.

"Mmm," Ev breathed. Her nose brushed his cheek and Tony looked down at his wife (!) with an inquisitive smile. "I love you," she whispered.

Tony kissed her soundly, pressing their chests together. "And I love you," he answered smoothly.

Almost a year ago that phrase would have scared him stiff. But above the lights of Paris and in the warmth of Evangeline's arms and smile, it was the easiest thing for him to say.

* * *

Author's Notes:

You and I from Michael Bublé

Here we are  
On earth together  
It's you and I  
God has made us fall in love  
It's true  
I've really found  
Someone like you  
Will it stay  
The love you feel for me  
Will you say  
That you will be by my side  
To see me through  
Until my life is through  
Well in my mind  
We can conquer the world  
In love you and I

I'm glad  
At least in my life  
I've found someone  
That may not be here forever  
To see me through  
But I found strength in you  
Cause in my mind  
You will stay here always  
In love you and I

In my mind  
We can conquer the world  
In love you and I  
You and I..."

You should all prep yourselves for the arrival of someone very special in the coming (two) chapters. Time to say hello to one Peter Stark!


	13. You and I, Part 2

When Evangeline sat Tony down one day in his kitchen with a cup of coffee he did not expect her to drop a bomb on him. He wasn't physically hurt because it wasn't nuclear or anything like that; no, it was much worse.

Ev had sat there, all golden and glowing in the morning sunrise with a pleasant smile on her face and had the audacity to tell him that she was pregnant with the most calm grin on her face.

Tony had had the sudden urge to shout "Who's baby is it" until he realized it couldn't be anyone's but his. So instead he had asked his wife if she was god damn sure and then after he had sat there for fifteen minutes, drank his coffee while Evangeline waited patiently. Tony considered storming out and dealing with his shock by staying in the lab for a whole week, but Ev had put her hand over his and whispered "stay" so Tony hadn't budged. In the end he had given her a thorough kiss.

_So they were doing this_, he thought when he looked at her one day, sitting on the couch with one hand absentmindedly resting on her flat stomach while the other held a book. _They were really doing this._

Tony did a lot of thinking in those days after she had told him. She didn't even _look_ pregnant, which just made it harder for Tony to wrap his entire conscious around the fact that he was going to be a father. He had never really thought of that happening to him.

He found himself dividing his time between watching and thinking. When he wasn't brooding away in his lab, replaying every single time they had slept together since getting married in his head to pinpoint exactly when he had decided to plant a _baby_ in his wife, he was staring at her whole being and drinking it all in. He fluctuated a lot between excited and apprehensive and several times Ev just had to take his hand, kiss his cheek, and whisper "calm down" in his ear.

And five months later, when Evangeline had woken Tony up in the middle of the night and had scared him half to death he understood. He understood that maybe he could do this sort of thing. He could be a good father. And he would. He promised himself and he promised Ev and their child. He was going to be Tony Stark, father extraordinaire. Because when he felt that little tyke kick his open palm through his wife's protruding belly, Tony Stark shed a tear or two and whispered "hey, there." So yeah, maybe he could do this dad sort of thing.

* * *

Another thing Tony discovered is that when women are pregnant they are downright crazy. Ev was always patient and kind, just the right amount of sarcastic and playful. And Tony still got all of that and sometimes he even got all of that in bed, but as the months waned on Tony figured out around month number three that Evangeline was stubborn and ridiculously vehement about things when she set her mind to them.

So after the first time she threatened to take the Ducati, which Tony had bought her (big mistake) to replace her old one two weeks after they had gotten engaged, if he didn't get on that grocery list she'd made Tony decided he'd better take a precaution. Ev hadn't brought up or glanced at her bike in a long time and she only snapped at him every so often (Tony believed at month six she was in the mushy I-love-everything phase), Tony took that as a clear signal to put his plan in motion.

He led Ev into the underground garage that hosted all of Tony's favorites, Ev's bike and a new addition which he had yet to show his pregnant wife. Tony had his hand over her eyes and led her carefully as he held her free hand tightly.

"Right here," he said softly. "Ready?"

"Tony," she said, a smile already forming on her face. "What did you do?"

"Just a precautionary measure," he assured her, his voice smooth. He kissed her on the cheek. "Here we go." Tony removed his hands and watched as he stood next to his new prize, which as far as SUV's went he wasn't too ashamed of buying.

"Well?" he said as Ev's eyes focused and she blinked at the shiny new Lexus sitting in front of her. "What do you think?"

"You bought-" Ev stopped, looking from the car to Tony and back again. "You bought something that wasn't a sports car?"

"Yep," Tony tilted his head up proudly and put a hand on the car. "It's not half bad. And well, I don't think you'd really like sitting in the front of my Audi when you're screaming at me in labor."

Evangeline laughed and walked forward, putting her hand over the one Tony had on the car. "Thank you," she said, smiling. "It's a great choice with excellent timing. You did good."

"Of course I did good," Tony said with a shrug. "When do I ever not do good?"

"Hmm," Ev hummed, her finger's tracing Tony's hairline to his jawline. Her fingers gently scrabbled against his scruff and she gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.

"You know what," Tony murmured as she kissed him again and he gently wrapped his arms around her. "Don't answer that."

"Wasn't going to," Ev grinned and Tony kissed her to shut her up just in case.

* * *

"Tony!" Pepper's voice came roaring through Tony's comm as he flew away from the wreckage of their most recently completed mission. He hadn't even had a chance to take a breath before JARVIS was informing him that Miss Potts was on the line.

"Pepper?" Tony was confused for a second. And then he remembered the only reason Pepper would be calling. "What happened?"

"She's in labor," Pepper said breathily. Tony tried to ignore the fact that he could dimly hear Ev's cry of pain in the background. "You need to get here fast. How far away are you?"

"Uh, pretty far," Tony conceded, checking the GPS map JARVIS put up to share space with Pepper's call on his HUD. "But I'll make it," he assured Pepper as he heard her draw breath to protest. "I'll make it, Pep. Calm down."

"You'd better," Pepper sighed. "I have to go. Hurry, Tony."

Tony had JARVIS check the skies, chart the fastest route back to Manhattan and went supersonic. There was no way he was going to miss his child being born. He had thrown a huge hissy fit when Fury had said that he needed Tony specifically for this mission. Tony hadn't taken a serious mission since a few months before Ev had gotten pregnant. He wasn't too keen to leave his wife in her eighth month of pregnancy just because Fury couldn't find someone who was better than Iron Man. He had ranted and raged and given a hundred reasons why he wasn't needed but Fury was adamant. He "needed_"_ Iron Man. Tony was ready to send a handful of repulsor blasts into whatever dumb reason _that_ was.

He saw that he had a call from Bruce but ignored it. Tony knew he had just skipped out on the wreckage and aftemath cleanup and probably an extensive debriefing meeting but he really didn't give a single shit. His child was being born and he was going to be god damned if he missed a single minute.

Tony found the hospital, had JARVIS find the records to get to Ev's room, and clanked in five minutes after he had landed. He had lifted the faceplate because the sound of his panting breath echoing in his ears was making him a bit frantic.

"Tony," she breathed, her face lighting up when he walked in.

Pepper has scrubs over her clothes and Rhodey was sitting, holding Ev's hand dressed the same. Pepper looked fidgety in the corner and let out a sigh of relief when he walked in.

"Oh thank god," she sighed and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder as she went to leave. Rhodey made a motion to rise but Ev's fingers tightened on his hand and she took a sharp intake of breath. "I thought you wouldn't make it."

"Of course I'd make it," he told his former assistant with a reassuring smile. He caught his wife's eyes and smiled wider, trying to ignore the pain he saw in them. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. Which, coincidentally, I was saving."

A nurse bothered Tony about the state of his armor, scratched up and covered in dirt and bullet holes. "I'm sorry, sir," she began.

"Mr. Stark," Tony offered. He had to give the nurse credit. She didn't even bat an eyelash when Iron Man clanked into her delivery room. She frowned instead.

"You either need to change or leave," the nurse informed him, relentless. "This is a sterilized room."

Tony was ready to protest but Evangeline looked at him, her eyes wide and pleading. "Do it," she told him, her voice was soft but he heard it loud and clear. "Anything. I need you to hold my hand, Tony."

Tony let the nurse pin a huge clean hospital bed sheet around the Iron Man suit and he set his helmet and two gauntlets that he popped off on Ev's bedside table. They cleaned his face up and put some stitches on a cut on his temple and finally let him sit next to his wife. Rhodey put his hand on Tony's shoulder as he let Tony take his place. His best friend moved to Pepper's side, putting his hand around her waist.

"Hey," Tony whispered. He wrapped his other hand around Ev's as she curled her fingers around the hand he offered her. "You're okay, right?"

Evangeline nodded, giving him a smile. He saw the wince in her eyes. Tony felt nervous and awkward all at once. This was a child his wife was giving birth to do. His child. Their child. He was going to hear her scream. Tony didn't know if he could stand for that. He was tempted to ask for earplugs.

Evangeline let out a groan, gritting her teeth as she pulled her body forward, attempting to hunch against the pain and inadvertently squeezing the life out of Tony's hand. He was too shocked to even say "ow."

"You're doing good," the nurse said from the other side of the bed.

Tony looked over his shoulder just in time to see Pepper and Rhodey leave. He looked and found their faces just as scared and apprehensive as he felt. Evangeline wasn't young, she was only a few years younger than Tony. But she was strong, they knew that. She could do this. She had to do this. Tony gave Evangeline a kiss on the forehead and whispered encouragingly into her hair.

"You're fine," he told her, kissing her again. "You're okay. You can do this."

"I'm glad you're here," she said softly, eyes on Tony as a nurse wiped beads of sweat away from her forehead with a damp cloth.

Tony squeezed her hand. "I know," he smiled. "I'm glad I'm here too."

* * *

Tony Stark actually cried and didn't try to hide it from a single soul when his son's cries filled the hospital room. He brightly shook the hand of the nurse who had delivered his child and smoothed the hair away from his wife's damp face, smiling at her with the biggest moon eyes in the world.

"You look absolutely smitten," Ev smiled as Tony tucked hair behind her ear. She sounded slightly breathless but the nurses assured Tony that his wife's vitals were fine and she was perfectly healthy. Just a little tired, but she'd make a full recovery. "Are you ready for this?" Tony watched Evangeline's eyes scan his face carefully, probing his eyes for that insecurity they both knew would always sit in the pit of Tony's stomach.

"I think so," Tony managed to say. He couldn't stop smiling. He pressed a soft kiss to Ev's lips and his wife smiled.

"You're like a lovestruck teenager," she laughed.

Tony laughed. "As long as you don't take pictures of my face like this we're good."

Ev's hand was on his cheek. "You're going to be a great father and you know it," she said, her thumb stroking his stubbly cheek. "You know it and I know it."

Tony held her hand to his cheek, kissing her palm. "We know it."

They shared a mutual smile before the nurses brought their son back, clean and pink-faced in his blue hospital cloth and adorable hat on his head.

"Hello, Peter," Tony whispered as Evangeline took their son in her arms.

"Oh he's perfect," Ev breathed, her finger brushing past their son's cheek as his eyes blinked blearily at his mother.

Peter Stark cooed as his hand reached out and Tony placed his finger in his son's grasping hand. His small baby fingers closed around Tony's pointer finger and immediately refused to let go.

Tony shuffled closer to Ev, her shoulder touching the covered metal of his Iron Man suit and they both stared down at their son.

"Definitely," Tony agreed. "Perfect."

Evangeline looked up at him, tears swimming in her eyes. She smiled and leaned up to kiss Tony on the cheek. "Love you," she said quietly, turning her attention back to their son, her finger gently stroking the milky skin of his forearm.

Peter's large brown puppy eyes, a copy of Tony's in depth and adorable-ness, shone as he stared at the faces of his parents.

"I love you both," Tony managed to get out around his tight throat. He couldn't tear himself away from that gravitational gaze. His son was pulling him in and he wasn't going to let him leave. Tony carefully reached out his finger to touch his son's cheek. He felt that attachment and Tony knew that it was a face he would never want to disappoint. Tony didn't want Peter to remember him the way he remembered his father. There was no way he was going to let that happen.

* * *

When Peter was sound asleep, Ev was stable in the hospital room she had been moved to, and Pepper and Rhodey had been let back in Tony rushed off to Stark Tower to get himself out of the Iron Man suit and into some clean clothes.

He realized Pepper had taken the pre-packed baby bag long ago, but he grabbed a few things for his wife and new son anyway. There was an Iron Man onesie Clint had inadvertently gifted them for when it was needed. Tony didn't know if it was a joke or not but he didn't care, he wouldn't have his son wearing anything else.

Tony re-entered the quiet hospital room, gently stepping through the door and making his way to his son.

"Hi," he whispered, kissing his wife as she held Peter. "Still sleeping, huh?"

"Mmm," Ev murmured. "He'll be doing that quite a lot. You, Tony Stark, are going to learn how to take shifts and change a diaper."

Pepper stifled a giggle while Rhodey even held back a snort. "That I'd like to see," Pepper smiled from behind her hand and Tony glared at his oldest friends. "Then again, James will have to learn that soon."

Evangeline and Tony both stared at Pepper, eyes wide and mouths slightly open. Rhodey just grinned, his smile matching his wife's, as he put his arm around her waist. Pepper looked like she was ready to burst into a shower of light, the way she was smiling.

"Seriously?" Tony asked, his face on the brink of a smile.

Pepper gave an eager nod, happy tears swimming in her blue eyes and there was a short explosion of sound as Tony clapped Rhodey on the back and kissed Pepper on the cheek. Evangeline held her hand out to Rhodey and he took it, leaning in so Ev could place a kiss on his cheek. She gave Pepper a one armed hug and congratulatory kiss on the cheek as well.

"We couldn't be happier for you both," she smiled.

Pepper brushed a few tears away from her cheek. "We're slowly getting around to telling everyone," she said. "So don't go spreading the news around."

Ev nodded and Tony pouted slightly. "Of course," she promised.

"Where is everyone?" Tony asked, checking his watch and changing the subject as the happy mood receded a bit. "The Avengers should be back by now."

"Happy's on his way up right now," Pepper said, her voice quiet again. Tony realized they had all returned to the hushed tones they had been using. He glanced at his son who fidgeted in his sleep.

"Well _we're_ here," Natasha's voice came from the doorway where she and Clint stood, void of dirt, grime and any evidence of a month long mission.

"And we come bearing gifts," Clint grinned, holding up a small vase of flowers and a teddy bear. "The little guy's going to love this." He gave Tony a friendly clap on the back.

Natasha had gone to stand on the other side of Ev's bed and was peering down at baby Peter. "Oh isn't he precious," she cooed and smiled. "He'll be the most mischievous thing when he grows up."

Ev smiled at her son and then at her friend. "I'll probably commandeer you to help keep him in line."

"We'll babysit whenever you want," Clint reassured them, having put down the flowers and held the bear out to Evangeline.

"Thank you," she said, tucking it into her side as she gently shifted Peter in his arms.

"Oh that's the face of a heartbreaker," Clint chuckled as Peter blinked his eyes at the archer. "How am I supposed to resist those wide eyes?" He smiled at Peter and waved a finger. "Hey there big guy," Clint said quietly and Peter made a blubbering noise that made Natasha laugh.

"He likes you," Evangeline smiled. "Babysitter approved by one Peter Stark."

"Mmm, he still has to go through a screening test with Dad," Tony pointed out, giving Clint a meaningful look.

Clint smiled. "Oh don't worry Stark, you can keep him for a while. I'll babysit when he starts getting more interesting."

"I swear Barton, if you turn my son into some mischief driven prankster," Tony threatened, frowning.

"Relax," Clint laughed. "Wow, Daddy reflexes kicking in already." The archer smiled. "This kid," he pointed at Peter. "I mean, come on, look at that face. I would take a bet right now that he'll get into a heaping load of trouble by the time he hits sixteen."

Bruce and Steve joined them shortly after, presenting a night light that Bruce had wired and spun pictures Steve had drawn. It was absolutely beautiful and Tony and Ev knew Peter would love it.

Thor came in after them, grinning with Jane by his side. They had their son bouncing up and down between them, blond hair and huge smile gleaming.

"Friends!" Thor said, his boom actually reduced the volume of a normal person. It must have been what Thor thought of as whispering. "I have come with a present from the uh, Coney Island, you called it? A small hare for your offspring!"

The Asgardian looked so pleased that Evangeline and Tony couldn't do anything but grin while Nat, Clint, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy who had walked in after Thor, looked downright amused when Thor gently placed the bunny in front of Peter. His tiny baby hands reached for the fluffy cheeks, which he patted and then smiled.

Tony felt like bursting with pride and joy in that moment and he didn't want to think about diapers or screwed sleeping schedules or coercing one of the other Avengers into diaper duty - he was happy that Evangeline looked so right again, sitting in the hospital bed, his son in her arms and a bunch of gifts from the people that loved them. This is what he wanted. This is what he signed on for. This is what he cared about.

* * *

Author's Notes:

_Updates!_ I have edited and updated all chapters up to this one. Hopefully I haven't missed anything or all the repetitive work will have been for naught :( Right now I can project that this fic will end solidly at 15 chapters if my writing decides to be nice to me.

So after this chapter my plan goes a little something like this: Peter growing up, incorporate Peter becoming Spiderman and loosely interweave the plot from TASM, finish writing the bonus chapter. That's right. I said bonus chapter. I feel that it's only fair, since I placed this in the Rated M category that I give you a chapter that (attempts to) lives up to that rating. Well, hopefully it does. Do you think a bonus chapter with the theme: "Five times Ev used 'Mr. Stark'..." and so on? You get that picture. Isn't it a lovely one?

Oh, and in response to the question in **Sally Fantastic**'s kind review: Peter Stark _is_ going to become Spiderman! I've read it many times in super!family fics and I'll be staying as true to the origin of Spiderman as I can. I'm not a master of the Marvel comicverse so you'll have to bear with my movie based plot line. But Oscorp WILL get mentioned, and so will Dr. Connors and the attack on Manhattan, and Gwen shows up somewhere. For the sake of this fic and because baby!Peter was requested, Peter Stark will become Spiderman.

I'm planning out the next chapter right now. It's a bit sketchy at the moment, since it's been a while since I saw TASM (which was AMAZING, of course) - so bear with a little bit.

On that note - thank you for every person who has clicked the favorite button or favorited me as an author, bothered to put this fic on story alert or given a kind review. I appreciate and cherish all of your wonderful and (so far!) positive feedback. Thanks for loving this fic as much as I hoped people would!


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